


Emeralis’s Tomb

by CestBonbonbonbon



Category: N/A - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:27:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26611414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CestBonbonbonbon/pseuds/CestBonbonbonbon





	1. Cast Away Kai

"Evening tide we set sail, we shall be there on tomorrow's morning." The king's deep voice echoed throughout his grand office as he traced a finger along his map from one continent to the next. He seemed to be talking more to the map than to the boy standing in his doorway, but Kai knew the king's intention wasn't to be ill-mannered. The king was running late, but Kai still couldn't help but wonder why he refused to have the wood elves come to them and trade. It seemed more rational since their trading coasts were closer, but Kai wouldn't dare question a king's decisions - let alone king Zelpher's.  
The ruler's height alone made the servant boy a bit unsettled and, not knowing what to do with his hands, he began to pick at his calluses.  
The room was far too big and lavish to remind the 16-year-old male of his old, roach-infested cottage. The chairs and bookshelves looked as if they had been dipped in gold, and the ruby chandelier that clattered softly above him certainty didn't spark any thoughts of déjà vu, but somehow the scent of the freshly baked cherry pie wafting from the king's wooden desk made the elven boy feel at home. He let his shoulders relax a bit, shutting his eyes as sunlight trickled in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, warming his tan face like a hug from an old friend.  
After listening to the king scribble away on his map for a while, Kai opened his eyes to a squint, letting them readjust a bit before gazing outside the window at the high-class homes below him.

He couldn't help but picture himself in a home as grand as the ones down below. However, his peaceful thoughts were quickly brought to a halt once the king's voice conquered the silent room, jerking Kai's attention toward the Royal at the front of it.  
"But at the pace we're going, we might get there by winter solstice," Zelpher sarcastically said, glancing over at the blond-haired male in his doorway.  
Kai didn't know if he should laugh or keep his face straight at the king's questionable banter. For he was afraid he didn't know whether the king was being serious or not. So instead, the boy waited for the king's command, deciding that it would be best to stay silent in his presence.  
Zelpher reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark colored ribbon. The Royal then pulled his straight waist-length hair back and away from his prickly face, and into a neat bow. He felt as though he made better decisions when things were neat and tidy, and his hair was no exception.  
Zelpher turned a heel, his eyes slowly pulling away from his work to face the boy he had summoned an hour ago. Kai shifted his gaze to the marble floor before the king's dark eyes could meet his.  
"Load that onto the docks. After that, you're dismissed," he said. The king pointed a ringed finger toward the wooden chest in the corner of the room before turning back to gaze intently at the large map he'd hung from the wall.  
Kai squatted down to pick up the wooden box. It was heavy - much heavier than he expected it to be. He struggled to get a good grip on the chest, but managed to get the wooden box into his arms. "What's in here? Bricks?!" he thought as he waddled out of the room.  
Members of the high elven court passed Kai. Some scoffed and turned their heads; others distanced themselves from him, clutching their gold-threaded purses as if he was going to snatch them away. However, Kai was used to it. Being a servant in a castle filled with members of high society, this was to be expected. Still, moments like these made him feel especially homesick. His people were more open-minded than the hoity-toity high elven folk.  
Once the scrawny boy was far away from the king and his royal posse, he turned into an empty servant hall, carefully set down the chest, and leaned himself up against a dingy wall.  
Kai wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He closed his eyes for a moment and let out a huff.  
Fumbling around in his baggy cotton shirt, Kai's nimble fingers slid down the length of the locket chain around his neck, feeling for the rusted locket at the end of it.  
Kai clicked the locket open to reveal a woman's face similar to his own.  
Her golden-brown angled eyes and full set of lashes mimicked the color of her shoulder-length blonde hair, complementing her slender face nicely. The young man was practically a carbon copy of his mother.  
As he gazed upon his mother's smiling face, he felt a wave of relief and determination soothe over him.  
"This may be hard work, but I swear I'll get you out of the slums, I promise!" the elven boy whispered to her, smoothing his thumb over the weathered photo.  
"Kai Hasvolten! What on earth are ya doing lallygagging with the kings treasure!?" The familiar hick voice whispered angrily at him, a stubby figure of a man rushing toward Kai from down the hall.

Kai jumped, quickly standing up straight. "I- um, I-" He stumbled over his words, trying to find a good excuse for slacking off on the kings time. Unfortunately, there wasn't one.  
Making up an excuse to his cousin Haget was like trying to hold a conversation with one of the castle rats, so Kai decided an apology would work better in his favor. "I-I'm sorry cousin." Kai lifted the trunk back into his sore hands while his older cousin began to scold him.  
"Yer makin' me look bad, boy! If you don't act like them, they'll start to get suspicious." The man ran his hands through his scraggly brown hair, his frustration growing. "They'll kill me and you both!" Haget grabbed Kai by his collar, causing Kai to yelp. The bearded older male glanced around before speaking through clenched teeth, "Don't make me regret bringing ya here, boy." "I won't! I-I swear!" Kai said, backing away from his cousins grip. "Get to the docks. We'll be waitin' for ya there," Haget said sternly, turning and waddling away.  
Kai continued down the servant halls that hadn't been updated since what seemed like forever, judging by the stained peeling paint and the matching stained red-colored carpet on which rats ran rampant. He'd guessed the last time their headquarters had been touched was in the last millennium. But he wasn't judging. Not one bit. Compared to his old life, this was an upgrade. At least here, he could eat something other than porridge every day. At least here, he'd be paid kindly.  
As Kai quickly weaved through the servant quarters, he ran into a few of his newfound friends. He gave them a smile and a nod before rushing off, not wanting to let his cousin down. He owed that old fart his life for all he's done for him. If it weren't for his mother's constant begging in her letters for Haget to take Kai under his wing, he'd have had to watch his mother struggle to care for him. It didn't feel right. He was of age, he could handle himself.  
Kai still remembered the last words he said before he left his mother's teary face. "I'll fill your pockets with every coin I earn, even if that means I'll never get to see you again. I love you ma, and this is how I'll prove to you that you mean the world to me." After those words, he was dragged into the compartment hidden in the floorboards of Haget's carriage and hadn't seen his mother since. Even though the other servants were like family to him, they didn't know him like his cousin did. They didn't know he came from beyond the wall, but to be fair, no one came from beyond the wall. Everyone here was of high elf blood. It had been this way since the beginning of time, and for what? Kai hadn't the slightest clue. He felt like his wood elf ancestors would frown upon the high elf ways, but what could he do? Move out onto the human plane? He shuddered at the thought.  
Kai felt his arms grow tired, but he continued walking. He was almost out of the servant quarters, which were now empty as everyone prepared the dining hall for breakfast and did various other chores.  
"Almost there, Almost there, Almost there," he chanted to himself, wobbling up the stairs.  
Kai's arms grew weaker until BANG! His eyes widened and his heart sank straight to the pit of his stomach, his face growing pale as he tried to process what he had done. Gold coins scattered below him as he stood in shock. "I. Am. An. Idiot!" he said to himself, dropping to his knees as he frantically began to scoop up the coins and place them back into the chest. "Well, at least I know why it was so heavy," mumbled Kai, taking fistfuls of coins and dropping them in the chest. "Why was it unlocked in the first place? And why is it lined with cloth?" he grumbled, but he figured it was none of his business.  
He let the last of the coins clank on top of one another, but stopped for a moment, staring at one of the golden coins. He smoothed the coin between his thumb and pointer finger in a slow circular motion, feeling the engraved elvish numerals upon its smooth surface.  
His thoughts started to trail. "No, no, no... I can't," he thought, dropping the last coin into the chest, but hesitating to close it. "If I take a parcel..." He paused, digging his hand in the gold. "I'm sure he wouldn't notice, a-and it'd be for ma." Kai spent a moment talking himself into pocketing the coins before ignoring the angel on his right shoulder and fully siding with the devil on his left, shoving a handful of coins into his empty parcel.

He quickly shut the chest and nearly ran toward the docks.  
The sun's rays glittering off the gentle waves combined with the distant sound of commonfolk trading in the city temporarily took Kai's mind off of what he had done back in the servant quarters. "It's only a parcel. Relax." He took a breath as he approached one of the female knights directing the servants.  
The clanking of golden metal armor snapped Kai back into reality, and for a moment, he regretted his decision.  
The knight furrowed her brow, snatching the chest from Kai as if it were a sheet of paper. "She knows! She definitely knows!" Kai's internal panic grew as he shoved his sweaty hands in his pockets, one hand gripping the parcel to silence the coins, the other toying with a loose thread.  
The knight placed the chest with the others. "Took you long enough," she said, shaking her head. "Help the others load those up."  
The male let out a small sigh of relief as he joined his cousin and the other servants in loading the ship.  
As hours passed, the setting sun painted the sky a pastel orange. Kai could tell the city traders were wrapping up their day due to the noise difference from earlier, but with the constant moving of his muscles, that was the last thing on his mind. He felt as if someone had been punching his muscles nonstop, but he plowed through the pain until the sound of drums and trumpets filled the springtime air.  
Everyone around Kai stopped in their tracks and formed several single file lines on either side of the vast ship, bowing their heads and kneeling synchronously one by one.  
Kai mimicked Haget to the best of his ability, trying his hardest not to stand out. As Haget took the right line toward the front, Kai took the left, bowing his head and keeping his eyes glued to the sandy shore. "What's happening?" he thought.  
While sneakily glancing around and out of the corner of his eye, his question was answered. Many well-made shoes passed by Kai's field of vision, but one pair stood out from among the rest. A male in dark leather golden soled boots with a matching bear fur robe fluttering behind him passed Kai and walked onto the ship.  
It was the king.  
"You may rise," The king said sternly. Everyone turned to face him in unison as he stood atop his ship with his 12 red-robed advisors, men and women, all dressed in the finest threads in Tethalagon. Kai hardly ever got to see them, let alone all of them together in one place, so when he saw the advisors, he was in awe.  
Each advisor was crowned with elaborately jeweled circlets that marked their status as elites. The red and gold beadwork on their tunics made Kai's hands sore just from looking at them, but one of the council women in particular caught Kai's attention. It was Maylin, a woman twice as old as he, a battle strategist. Kai studied her wavy red, bluntly cut bob and smooth freckled face. "Wow," He whispered unknowingly.  
Hearing the male, Maylin turned her gaze to Kai. Her hazel eyes seemingly peered into his soul as she gave him a gentle smile. He instantly averted his gaze, realizing he had been ogling her for quite a bit. The embarrassment showed on his cheeks as he looked back to the king.  
Zelpher perched his gold trimmed leather gloved hands upon his hips, looking down at his people. No one uttered a word.  
For a moment, he was silent. Only the sound of his wine-red silky tunic ruffling in the wind filled the ears of the people below him while they awaited his next move.

King Zelpher motioned a hand toward the gold-filled chests beside him. Instantly, the sound of clacking metal broke the familiar silence as twelve knights from the crowd lined up and marched upon the ship, opening up the chests filled with gold.

Kai began to tremble in fear, holding his hands tightly to prevent them from quivering too. Haget shot Kai a confused glance, but turned back toward the king, ignoring his cousin's anxiousness. He thought that maybe Kai was anxious because he had never experienced a sendoff like this. He was a country boy after all.

As Kai watched attentively, some knights disappeared deep into the ship. One reemerged with a flat silver object and placed it before the king. Other knights opened up the gold-filled wooden chests, took off the cloth lining, and lifted the coins from their chests into sacks.  
The young boy felt his heart hammer in his chest. He wanted to run, but his legs betrayed him and stayed put. Fighting the urge to scream, he instead watched a sack get placed upon the sliver slab, which glowed green once the sack was set down.

An older male advisor to the left of the king with a silver claw-like ring pulled a sheet of paper from his pant pocket and punched a hole through it. This process repeated: each bag was set on the silver slab, the silver slab glowed green, and the coins were put back into their original chest.

Kai regretted taking the money and tried to think of ways to get rid of the evidence, but before he could form a proper plan, the slab before the king glowed red. Kai's heart felt like it stopped. "Oh dear," said the advisor with the silver talon.

The terrified boy's eyes widened, but he tried his best to appear calm. "What does red mean? Why did they stop? Is that my chest?" Kai's thoughts spiraled as he watched the knight lift the bag up and place it back onto the slab, only for it to glow red once more. "Which chest number is it?" The king pursed his lips after he spoke, tapping the hilt of his sword as he glared at the sack of gold.

Kai glanced around at the servants. Everyone was filled with fear and it showed on every one of their faces.

"26, Your Majesty," said the advisor.

The king's dark eyes instantly locked with Kai's. This was the first time Kai had ever peered into them, and they were filled with rage.

Kai broke the king's stare, unable to look at him any longer.

"Look at me!" The kings deep voice boomed, causing all the people below to jump. Kai felt an instant chill run down his spine as he opened his mouth to speak, but not one sound came out. "Care to tell me why my money is short, boy?" All eyes turned to Kai as Zelpher's ringed finger tap tap tapped the hilt of his sword faster and faster, showing his growing impatience.

"M-My mother is a castaway, I-"

"My people would never steal my coin!" the king interrupted. Jumping from his ship and landing on the sandy shore, he slowly approached Kai.

"Run, Run, RUN!" Kai thought, but before he could, he was snatched up by his collar and forced to balance on the tips of his toes.

Zelpher yanked his silver sword from its holster and placed it sideways against the boy's veiny neck. Kai could barely breathe.

Blood began to trickle down into Kai's white shirt and tears formed in his light brown eyes. He tried to stay as still as possible.

The king was so close to his face, Kai could smell the beer on his breath.

"Who the hell are you?" the king growled through clenched teeth that made his sharp jaw seem more prominent. "H-Haget is my cousin," Kai stammered. The servants glanced at Haget, but the male shrugged as if he didn't know what was going on. However, Kai continued. "He brought me here to save my ma from poverty. I-I'm sorry I took your coins, they're in my pocket I'll give it back I swear I meant no harm!" Kai's eyes pleaded with the king's as the king shoved his hand into Kai's pocket and snatched the parcel away from him.

Zelpher dropped the boy on the ground. Kai landed on his back. The air in his lungs was knocked out from the impact. Kai grabbed his neck, gasping for air.

The king tossed the coins over to one of the nearby knights, who then tossed it to another knight onboard the ship. The knight poured the parcel back into the rest of the gold.

Kai begged the slab to shine green, and to his surprise, it did. The king turned to Haget, who was one of his servants with more freedom than the rest. And before Zelpher said a word, Haget spoke calmly in an accent very much unlike his usual thick hick drawl. "I don't know what that young man is speaking of, but what he says isn't true."

"Liar!" Kai interjected as he stood to his feet, still holding his throat. "You picked me up from Greenstone Village and brought me here! Don't you lie to him, Haget!" All 40 of the servants stared at Kai in horror as whispers arose amongst the crowd. "Over the wall!?" whispered one woman. "He came from over the wall!?" another woman gasped. The king approached Kai once more with an expressionless face.

"Your Highness, I swear I don't know this man. He must be a spy!"

Kai began to sob. Was his cousin really going to sacrifice him for his status? His own flesh and blood? Kai stared at Haget in horror.

"He probably snuck onto my carriage while I was out doing errands and I-" The king ignored Haget and held his blade to the air. The creamsicle sky reflecting off of the mirrorlike sword caused it to briefly appear invisible and, before Kai could blink, before he could protest his cousins accusations any further, his eyes went blurry as he watched his cousin's mouth open and close like a fish. The ringing in his ears drowned out the screams and cries let out by the women and men around him as the world drifted to black.

Kai's head rolled clean off his neck. His body spasmed before dropping to the sand, gushing blood all over the king and every servant in his proximity. The 12 advisors didn't look phased. Instead, they trailed inside of the ship, away from the rather gruesome scene.

"QUIET!" The king screamed, causing everyone to hush. Haget stared at his dead cousin, then looked back to the king. The king used his sword to point at the decapitated male. "Let this spy be a lesson to all of you!" His dark orbs scanned each servant's face before speaking once more. "If I find out any of you aren't of high elf blood, you'll be doing the same dance that boy did before he hit the ground." The king sheathed his sword. "Clean this mess up," Zelpher said to one of his knights as he walked over to Haget.

Haget instantly dropped to his knees, bowing before His Majesty.

"As for you Haget, your ranks are back at square one. You will no longer sleep in the castle. You will now bed in the stables and care for the livestock. This is your punishment for not watching your carriage more carefully."

"But-" Haget started, now sitting on his legs.

"Or shall your head lay alongside that boy you let in? You choose!" Zelpher spat. "No, no, Your Highness, I'm fine with sleeping in the stables," Haget responded cheerfully, raising his hands in protest.

The king reboarded his ship, handing a chest filled with sachets to one of the knights on shore as payment for the servants' help that day.

The sachets were filled with the same amount that Kai had stolen.


	2. Chapter 2 The King’s Voyage North

The dark waves thrashed the ship around a couple of times that night before returning to the tranquil state they had been in before its takeoff.

In the morning, the king put his hair in a simple loose braid to better his concentration while he and his council treasurer Thesel sat facing each other in the captain's quarters. They were making the last of their trading plans before the ship finally dropped anchor in the green kingdom of Dellamora, home to the wood elves.

Zelpher signaled a hand to his royal guard, and without a word, everyone on board began grabbing chests and unloading ship. Despite the late sendoff, they had made it to the kingdom in a timely manner.

Zelpher scanned the tall trees that surrounded Dellamora and made a face. He couldn't wrap his head around how the wood elves could just invite anyone into their lands, but he still felt relieved to know that Queen Nan had cleared the coasts for him. Usually, the wood elves' port would be riddled with boats from different kingdoms, but as of right now, their port was silent and barren, with all the commotion that typically happened on the coast instead coming from deep within the lush forest.

"Must they always be so loud?" Zelpher asked to no one in particular while rubbing his temples. Nan's people always threw a grand celebration for Zelpher's arrival, which he thought was deeply unnecessary, yet Nan refused his protests. He'd like to think she adored to see him discomposed.

"Well then, if it isn't Zelpher!" A disembodied voice called excitedly from within the forest. The woman gathered up the skirts of her emerald green dress, exposing her bare feet as she jogged toward the royal. Zelpher knew it was Nan; for she was always running, and her guards were always trailing right behind her, begging her to slow down.

Though she was thousands of years older than him, Nan's face and body beheld the appearance of a woman in her early 30s. Usually, she wore her wavy, dreaded hair up in intricate styles that pulled its locks away from her round face, but since there was a celebration at present, she instead wore it down, adorned with golden hair clips.

Zelpher watched the brown-eyed woman slow her pace as she approached his ship. The sun illuminated her chocolate-colored skin as she caught her breath. He gave the woman a slight bow.

"Hello, dear Nan!" Zelpher said, walking down the ramp of his ship to stand at her side. The shorter woman turned her gaze up to look at Zelpher, then responded with a kind smile and gestured a hand toward herself.

"Everyone, follow me!" she cheerfully said, guiding the king and his workers down the forest path into her village.

Zelpher looked around at the treehouse cottages adorned with pinecone streamers as the elven people threw themselves into a dance very unlike the waltz he so fancied. They twirled one another rowdily to the beat of handpan drums while others of their kind sang various songs passed down from generation to generation. King Zelpher eyed the people's choice of dress, thinking they were simply in their day-to-day getup. However, he couldn't have been farther from the truth.

The women wore a shorter version of Nan's flower-embroidered short-sleeved dress: shapeless, flowy smock dresses that mimicked the springtime scenery. They paired their dresses with golden jewelry that usually didn't get to see the light of day until events like this one came about. They even wore gold-dipped beetles as broaches or as hair clips. The men drank merrily in their brightly-colored embroidered tunics, passing crowns made of flowers (that the king would have mistook for weeds) to one another to be placed atop their heads.

The townsfolk took notice of the king's go-to ensemble of red and gold and snickered a bit at what they thought of his "weird choice of fashion." Zelpher fought the urge to punish them for their impoliteness, taking a deep breath to calm his violent thoughts. His people wouldn't dare snicker at him. Nan's people were far too friendly for his liking.

The king passed by gnomes telling their tales of the human world to the wood elf children who crowded around a small fire, the children jumping and gasping at the gnomes' theatrics. Small booths of women and men of all different races sold various foods of different sorts, from roasted pig to anything and everything baked.

It took everything in Zelpher not to take a moment to have one of his guards go test a pie or two so he could proceed to stuff his face, but duty always came first in his mind, no matter how well the baked chicken mingled with the smell of the forest's pine.

Every once in a while, a child would curtsy at the king and try to hand him random gifts they had crafted, or flowers they had pulled from the earth, but he denied their gifts, for he didn't have a place to put them. Zelpher never had a soft spot for children, but their small disappointed faces eventually made the man cave. Unfortunately, when he accepted one gift, it caused a swarm of children to hand him more. Pretty soon, Nan had to step in and be the bearer of bad news.

The group walked deep into the forest. Behind a curtain of willow branches concealing a clearing in the forest, Nan's large wooden castle came into view. They crossed the drawstring bridge stretching across a wide, steep moat. Zelpher's knights looked a little uneasy while carrying the gold-filled chests across the rickety bridge, but hid their discontentment skillfully.

Nan reached into the sachet she had hung over her shoulder and pulled out a loaf of buttered bread.

Before the king could question why she had it, Nan whistled and chucked it straight into the air.

Then it clicked. The king and his advisors quickly held the sides of the drawbridge's wooden rails, bracing for impact as Nan's humongous koi fish leaped from out of the water below. It cast a shadow over their heads as it gulped down the loaf of bread, flapping wildly in the air before it landed back in the water with a splash!

Surprisingly, no one got wet this time.

"Why must you do that when I'm around!?" Zelpher yelled what his group was thinking.

"You hear that, Baba!? He's happy to see you!" yelled Nan to her fish through cupped hands. The council members groaned in unison.

The group walked into Nan's castle. Once in the royal round room, Nan's husband Pahpo greeted them with a bow. Their children, Rammy and Kita, would usually be seen breaking something by now, but Pahpo had sent one of their caregivers to let the children tire themselves out at the celebration in the village. 

Pahpo's dark complexion matched his wife's, but unlike Nan, he always wore his crown, which was covered with rare stones. His crown was a symbol of all the things he had accomplished in his lifetime. With it being made of lignum vitae, one of the toughest woods in the human world, it aptly represented his strength and courage. He had risked his life for that wood. However, it is a rite of passage every wood elf king must go through in order to prove that they can lead their kingdom.

The group sat at a long rectangular table, with Zelpher's guards to the right of the room and Nan's to the left. King Pahpo was blind from old age, so his "seeing man" showed Zelpher the graphs and logistics of their trade. Zelpher did trades for lumber and spices with the wood elves every year in spring, so he already knew word-for-word what the seeing man would say, how much the trade would cost, and where he and Thesel should sign.

The council members, besides Thesel, didn't understand why the king would make them come with him on trips like these. All he'd really need was Thesel for accounting, and maybe Maylin in case something awful were to happen. Still, no matter how tedious it seemed, they would never question their king's logic.

After the conference, Thesel double-checked the cargo. He punched a hole through a slip of paper from his pocket with his signature claw-like ring, checking off Zelpher's and Nan's knights as they carried their cargo back to the king's ship.

Zelpher wandered out of the room with two of his knights, trusting Thesel to do the rest of the work while he rushed back to the village. He couldn't take his mind off of the pies and sweets he had smelled earlier, and was now craving a wood elf danish, but once he returned to the village, the celebration was already over. The villagers were cleaning up, taking down their decorations and settling down as the sun began to set. The king ran his hand through his jet-black hair as his pale face slowly turned florid. "Well, what now!?" Zelpher exclaimed, causing the townsfolk to glance over in his direction.

The king searched for hours for a bakery that might be open, but to his dismay, all the shops were closed. Which only infuriated him more, which only pushed him to continue searching. But he had no luck. "Not only do I not get my sweets, but this damn kingdom has no horses!?" he bellowed.

"Your Highness," remarked one of his knights, clearing her throat before continuing. "Dellamorans believe keeping horses is animal cruelty." The king promptly waved away his knight's speech and continued down the wooded path.

As the group traveled deeper into the forest, they stumbled across a sign that read, "Greenstone Village: 20 miles away," and he decided it would be worth walking there as long as they all walked fast enough.

Once in the village, the king practically ran to the little blue house labeled 'Bakery,' ignoring the gasps and stares from the people around him. Zelpher slammed open the bakery's door, startling the old woman behind the counter.

"Y-you're the- the," Joyce stammered, gulping as she hastily wiped her floury hands on her apron. "Your Highness, please do forgive my quaint space, I-." The king interrupted, "I'm sorry, but would you happen to have any cherry danishes?" he said breathily as he approached the counter. Joyce quickly nodded. "Abelia will make one for you fresh!" She turned her head toward the staircase to her left. "Abelia! Abelia, come quick!" she hollered. The woman upstairs immediately scrambled down the steps. She thought Joyce had been hurt, considering the way she had screamed. "Are you alright is everything okay!?" she questioned frantically before slowly turning her gaze to look at the royal standing at the counter. Abelia instantly bowed her head and curtsied.

"How many would you like?" inquired Joyce. The king responded by setting a parcel filled with gold on the countertop. Both women's eyes widened. Joyce quickly snatched the coins from the counter before the kings mind swayed. "Forty large danishes coming right up!" yelled Joyce. She cackled as she waddled up the stairs, leaving the curly-haired woman alone in the male's presence.

Abelia's heart fluttered out of her chest. She turned around to face the sink, accidentally knocking over a few things before washing her hands.

Zelpher decided to break the awkward silence. "I'd like to thank you for being open so late. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would've lost my mind."

Abelia smiled faintly, trying to avoid making eye contact with the ruler. Instead, she kept her gaze on the ingredients. She was unable to think properly with a high elf eyeing her work. She knew how they could be, and she tried her best to keep her hands steady, but still they shook.

"You're very welcome, Your Highness," she said in a soft-spoken tone. "You're more than welcome to come back; we're open all night."

Zelpher tilted his head. "All night? But isn't that dangerous?"

"We need as much money as we can get and... I'm afraid to say this, but it's always dangerous here." Abelia paused for a moment before grabbing the fresh cherries from the fridge. "This is castaway territory, and yes, this may be the nicer side of town, but we're... what the king and queen don't want you to see."

Zelpher smoothed a hand over his stubbled chin as he watched the olive-skinned woman place each ingredient on the counter. He raised a brow. "Cast away?"

"Some people were banished here because our king and queen didn't approve of their actions, and others were sent away for petty crimes. Instead of sending them all to jail, the rulers turned this land into a sort of poverty center. They're forced to live here until the gods say it's time for them to return home."

The king thought back to the faces he'd passed when he ran into the small bakery and how much they differed from the ones in the rich village he had just been in. Here, people slept in dirt mounds and wore old rags for clothes.

Zelpher's kingdom didn't consist of a class lower than "stablemen," so to think these people were sleeping in houses made of dirt and living in poverty for their actions made him feel discomforted.

"My people wouldn't dare get themselves into such trouble. Do I really want this thief putting her hands on my pastries?" he thought.

Nevertheless, what went down here wasn't his problem, nor his business. Yet, his curiosity pushed him to ask another question, just to be sure. "What did you do to get yourself into a place like this?"

Abelia looked up at the king. Zelpher had never seen eyes like hers before, so he was caught off guard.

"Green? No, no, definitely turquoise, but are those gold specks?" he considered, studying her eyes and realizing they were all three.

"I was forced to live in Greenstone after the rich townspeople found out I had been feeding these banished people leftovers from my old bakery." She broke his stare, grabbing a nearby ladder and placing it up against one of the pantry shelves behind her. She caught a jam jar that nearly fell from the shelf, then let out a breath of relief. "Those townspeople shun people like me for helping the poor that live here, but I'd rather be here than with people who don't care about the wellbeing of others."

Zelpher watched the young woman climb the worn ladder as her words echoed in his mind. "What a foolish woman," he furrowed his brow, thinking to himself, "Risking your livelihood for people you have no alliances with? I'd nev-"

The woman squealed, interrupting the male's notions as she began to fall backwards. Without thinking, Zelpher leaped over the counter and caught the woman in his arms before she hit the floor. Abelia looked up at Zelpher, stunned. "You're quite clumsy, aren't you?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone. He tucked the loose strands of hair that wouldn't fit in his long braid back behind his pointed ear, exposing his diamond-encrusted ear cuff.

Abelia laid in his strong arms, forgetting how to stand as blood rushed straight to her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but was completely at a loss for words.

Zelpher closed his eyes and shook his head, letting out a huff. "Here, let's stand up, shall we?"

He carefully brought the woman to her feet. She let out a nervous laugh and smoothed down her patchy dress. "I'm- my deepest apologies, Your Highness."

Zelpher walked closer to the woman and Abelia shut her eyes tight. She stiffened her body, preparing herself for a beating. As Zelpher's gruff voice filled the room, Abelia flinched, letting out a whimper.

"Here." Abelia opened her eyes to see the king holding the flour she had been reaching for. She took the flour in her hands and instantly went back to work. "Use the money I gave you to buy a new ladder," Zelpher folded his arms, leaning against the wall by the stairs, "because I'm not always going to be there to catch you." Abelia nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."

The two then stayed silent for the hour it took for the young woman to fulfill the king's order. Zelpher motioned a hand to one of his knights, signaling him to patrol the entrances of the house as the other one stay put in order to poison-check the pastry.

"Your Highness, this is incredible!" The remaining knight went in for a second bite, but the king grabbed it from his hands and tried it for himself. He nodded in approval, a smile spreading across his face. "How divine! Why, I've never tasted anything like this!"

"You like it?" Abelia giggled, placing a hand on her hip as she dabbed away her sweat with a spare cloth. She'd never had a royal try her food before, so this once-in-a-lifetime experience excited her to her core.

"Do I like it!? I love it! I don't believe I've tasted anything like this; and I've traveled the world, mind you." Zelpher scarfed down the first pastry and went on to a second, then a third. "Your Highness, may I-" The knight raised a finger.

"Absolutely not!" Zelpher interjected. Abelia held back a laugh at the two men bickering about who should hold the pastry-filled basket as they both exited her shop. "Safe travels, Your Highness!"


	3. Chapter 3: Abided by the Goddess

"Wrong, wrong, wrong! It's all wrong!" Zelpher hurled the cherry-filled pastry toward the tower of previously discarded pastries beside him. He furiously wiped his hands on the stained handkerchief in front of him.  
The creator of the now-compost stood before him with balled up fists. "Your Highness, this is the 50th batch today!"  
The king's dark eyes shot daggers at the woman as he rose to his feet. She cleared her throat, instantly backtracking. "What I meant to say was... I'm unsure of how we can make this anything like the origi-."   
"Enough!" He slammed his fists on his desk, causing the glass plates he had stacked up on either side of him to clatter. "Are you seriously trying to tell me a wood elf nobody can cook better than you?! A high elf master chef?!"  
Tears piled in Chef Trinity's eyes. "If there's anything else you'd like me to make, I-I can make cherry pies, cherry fritters-"   
"That's enough," Zelpher stated. He raised a hand, signaling for her to halt, but Trinity continued listing, tears now streaming down her rosy cheeks. "Shut up, shut up!" she screamed internally, but she was unable to stop herself. "Cherry cake, cherry bars, cherry cobbler, ch-"  
"I said, enough!" the king hollered, swiping the glass plates on the table to the marble floor of his study. The plates cracked on impact and the two nearby servants immediately rushed over to clean up the shards.  
Trinity hung her head, sniffing while she choked back her sobs. "This is it... my dreams are over," she thought as she prepared herself for the king's permanent dismissal.  
"Get back to work, and don't stop until I give you the word," was what she heard, however. Trinity quickly darted out of the king's presence before he could think otherwise.   
"Send in Thesel and Maylin. Afterwards, you're both dismissed," he said to his servants, watching them bow in unison before taking off to their task.   
Moments later, Thesel and Maylin emerged from behind the massive study doors to find Zelpher sitting at his desk with a glass of red wine in his hand. The two council members weren't too pleased when they discovered the reason the royal decided to host a meeting so late at night. Still, they tried their best to conceal their discontentment.  
Thesel cocked his head and furrowed his brow as he lifted a hand to cover his yawn.  
"You summoned us here... for danishes?" he asked honestly.  
Maylin shook her head and flopped into the cushiony seat next to Thesel. She clasped her hands together tightly as she rested her elbows on her knees.  
"It's been like, two months, Your Highness, and you still haven't gotten it recreated yet?" Maylin asked.  
"I'm unsure of why you called us down here. Did you want to confide in us? Why not councilman Toli? She is, well, the confider."  
Thesel quickly corrected his irritated tone before the king could snap at his response. "Not to question your logic, Your Highness. It's just... I'm afraid I'm not within the qualifications of your request."   
Zelpher let out an agitated sigh, taking a sip of his wine in an attempt to temper his rising anger at the scrawny older male's silly questions.  
"You seriously think I didn't try that?!" he yelled, to which the two blinked in response.  
"The advice she gave was abysmal, so now I'm left with asking you two to create an excuse to get us back to Dellamora."   
Thesel glanced over at the visibly irritated woman beside him, silently begging her not to speak. To his disappointment, she didn't oblige.  
"Yeaah, pardon me, but if you're not taking Toli's advice, I'm real curious as to what advice you think we could off-."  
"What she means is that she, too, isn't entirely qualified for the task you're asking for, Sire. Did you try asking councilman Veeve for insight?" Thesel interjected, causing Maylin to squint at the older male and make a face.  
"The seer?" Zelpher scoffed. "The only one that seer is fooling with that 'gifted sight' nonsense is mother."  
As if on cue, the group noticed a new presence enter the room.  
"My dearest son, I haven't seen you in weeks! Pardon my intrusion, but shouldn't you be more worried about bringing your kingdom an heir?"  
The two counselors turned toward the queen. She had appeared from behind a bookcase, one of the many hidden passageways in the castle. Her small strides toward her son gave her the illusion of gliding across the castle floor, and the long gold dress that dragged upon it helped further the mirage. The two councilmen bowed their heads in respect.   
"Mother. Not. Now." Zelpher said choppily through clenched teeth, signaling the hand gesture for temporary dismissal toward the council members.  
The queen took the chair Maylin was sitting in just moments ago and gave her son a smile he did not return. He instead gulped down the rest of his wine, then poured himself another glass.   
"Zelpher, I've been preparing you for 1,060 years my child, and I'd quite love to see my grandchildren before I'm gone, young man."  
"Mother, I have far more important things to do than to be a family man. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to."  
The king reached for his black feathered quill that sat perched in the dark ink bottle beside him, tapping off the excess ink and proceeding to write random letters on a blank page of one his notebooks.  
"Like what? Search the poor folks' land of Dellamora for a pastry recipe? My child, you are being foolhardy, and that is not how I raised you to be."  
She straightened her posture and tightly clasped her hands. "Dearest son," she said sharply, causing the male to look up from his scribbles to his mother's grim expression, "If your plan is to have children with a low-born, I shan't allow it. Our ancestors didn't gift us with healing only for you to tarnish our bloodline."  
Zelpher's eyebrows rose in shock and he let out an obnoxious laugh. "Mother, oh, mother, what do you take me for?" He struggled to catch his breath. "I'm unsure of what's worse: having a child with a townswoman that will die in 100 years - along with the child, or destroying our powers." Zelpher cackled.  
The queen didn't find his banter the least bit amusing. "Settle down now, I just want to be clear in my requirements. You will court Lilly Ann, understood?"  
Zelpher waved off his mother's protests, continuing to scribble down random letters. "Yes, mother. Now leave me to my studies."  
The queen stood to her feet and glided toward the front door, leaving the king with his thoughts.  
Zelpher leaned back in his chair and thought back to the conversation with Toli in his conference room.  
"Your Highness, why not develop a taste for different sweets? Making a second trip so early would be breaking our budget for the year."   
"But waiting till next spring is far too long a wait."  
The king stood and paced back and forth, thinking of possible ways to tell Nan he'd be coming back without it seeming that he actually liked being there, and without her teasing him for it as long as she lives.  
"I can hear her now," he scoffed, mimicking Nan's voice. "You say your people are better than everyone else, yet they can't even make a simple pastry."  
The kings reminiscence quickly dissipated as a hard knock resounded on the door.  
"Enter," he said simply.  
The large door gently opened to Maylin's excited freckled face. "Your Highness, I know it's not in my qualifications to give you advice, but... coming from a battle strategist's point of view, I think I know how we can get into the kingdom."  
——  
Maylin dragged a small canoe into the steady ocean tide. The salty ocean waves gently rocked the rickety wooden thing from side to side as the toned woman held its end to keep it in place.  
Zelpher stood, staring at the mechanism in shock. "Is this really all you could come up with?"  
"Don't blame me, blame Thesel!"  
"Hold on a moment, does he know we have his canoe?"  
"I asked to borrow his canoe and he gave me this dumb thing, and when I asked for his other one he refused." She shrugged. "He said something about me always breaking his things, yada yada, I tuned him out mid-lecture, but anyway he said it cost him nearly nothing."   
"Well, that's obvious. What on earth are you wearing?"  
Maylin looked down at the wood elf clothing she had made for her by the royal designer. "It's my disgui- wait, where is yours? You didn't put it on?"  
The king raised a brow. "Those rags on my bed? I thought that was a mere joke. Everyone knows you wear black at night, 'battle strategist.'"  
Maylin stared at the king, mouth agape. Zelpher's all-black ensemble, combined with his pale complexion, made him shine like a star.  
"Yeah, I find that real hilarious coming from a floating talking head. I wouldn't be on the council if I didn't know what I was doing, genius."  
She contemplated sharing her thoughts aloud, but bit her tongue instead, remembering what her teachers taught her about speaking her mind to a royal.  
"Shall we?" She pointed a thumb at the boat.  
Zelpher took a seat in the canoe and grabbed a paddle while Maylin pushed them into the water. Hours passed as the two paddled under the star-filled sky.  
Maylin had always dreamed about doing a mission like this: a bigger mission to show the king her true expertise. As she mindlessly propelled the canoe forward, she thought back to where it all began for her. She wasn't quite expecting half her expertise to be going toward handling commonfolks' quarrels and going on tag-along missions in the spring for trades.  
"Finally, something I was trained to do!" she thought as they both paddled until morning.  
——  
"Now, now, Abelia, settle down. Let me show you how mama does it." The woman held her child's small hands in her own. "Here, place your hands like this and knead the dough."  
Abelia looked up at her mother's slim face, then back down to the dough, and got excited once more. "Mama, when can I pick the filling? When is it filling time!?"  
Abelia's mom let out a soft laugh. "I'm afraid it's not quite time yet, but for now, let's finish the pie dough."  
Abelia blew on her curly brown bangs, causing them to ruffle. "When will it be time? Is it time now?"  
The girl's mother shook her head at her daughter's questions. "You know, for someone who wants to take after their mama and own a bakery, you sure don't sound like a bakery owner."  
Abelia's mouth hung open. "Heyyy, that's not true! I just wish it can be done faster! When I get a bakery, I'll be the best in the kingdom!"  
"Is that so, little one?"  
Abelia placed her floury hands on her hips and nodded her head. "Mmhm, the bestest best! Queen Nan will give me medals and everything mama, you'll see!"  
Abelia's mother let out another laugh. "When you receive your medals, we'll throw a big party with fancy dresses. Your friends can come as well and-."  
"Oh mama, will father be there!?"  
Abelia watched her mother's cheerful face turn stone cold. She instantly regretted bringing him up.  
The few people seated at the nearby tables glanced over at the two and began to whisper incoherently.  
"Your father was a naughty man, Abelia." The woman stood up and grabbed a pie pan. "Father is a castaway. He's filled with evil now."  
Abelia tugged at one of her curls as she listened to her mother's lecture.  
"Imagine what our friends would say about a castaway at your party. In fact, the queen would even take away your medals."  
Abelia's eyes widened as she shook her head in denial. "I've made up my mind, mama! No castaways at my party, and no castaways in my bakery!"  
Her mother's kind smile returned to her thin lips as she began to spread the dough in the pan. "Tell Ean to finish up the rest of the orders for me, sprout."  
Abelia slowly dusted the flour from her clothes, hopping down from her stool. She reluctantly walked over to her brother's room down the narrow hall.  
With a creak, she pushed open her brother's wooden door and stepped inside his small room littered with toys, making sure to keep the door wide open. "Mama says-"  
"You think you're real funny bringing up father to mom like that, huh?" The boy licked his finger to turn a page in his well-worn book.  
"What?" The child watched her brother continue to read his book and ignore her presence, which only thickened the silence.  
Luckily for Abelia, the soft hum of the fan in her sibling's window combated the awkward tension he had created. The fan wafted the scent of the honeysuckle candle lit on Ean's bedside table over to her. As she let the flame's hypnotic dance captivate her thoughts, her brother's hostile demeanor seemed muted compared to the vibe he'd tried to establish before her intrusion.  
Ean looked up from his book and shut it loudly, snapping the girl's attention back to him.  
He swung his legs down from his bed and began to walk toward his sister, who was now backed up against a wall. She wanted to scream, to run to her mother for protection, but she knew better than to do that when there were customers in the lobby.   
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." She turned her gaze to the wooden panels of Ean's bedroom floor. Her vision went blurry as a familiar sting met her cheek. She held her cheek in pain, tightly shutting her eyes while tears ran quickly down her face.   
"Can you imagine if a guard overheard you sympathizing with a castaway? What if mother's friends were here? We'd be right with father! Is that what you want?! Want me to report you?!"  
Abelia looked up to her brother's face in horror.  
"Brother, please! I'm sorry! It won't ever happen again!"   
"Wake up lady, I'm not your brother. Open your eyes!" a female voice whispered firmly, trying its best to calm the frightened girl.  
Abelia squirmed in her bed and clawed at the air until she shot up from her nightmare. She panted while holding her hand over her heart as it hammered away.  
Letting her eyes adjust to the light of her quaint space, Abelia finally noticed the young woman standing beside her. In a panic, she reached for the kitchen knife she had tucked between her tattered mattress, but to her dismay, it was already in the woman's hand. Abelia opened her mouth to scream, but the woman quickly covered it, holding the knife to her neck. "Ah Ah! Don't you scream." Abelia felt her vision blur as she fainted in the stranger's arms.  
When she came to, Abelia was tied to one of her bedroom chairs and gagged. The woman from earlier was talking to a familiar man. The woman glanced over at Abelia and she quickly shut her eyes in an attempt to feign unconsciousness, but she was too late.  
"Ma'am, no need to be frightened."  
Abelia ignored the woman and continued pretending to be asleep.  
"Don't be alarmed. I'm head councilman Maylin, and I'm sure you know king Zelpher."  
Abelia peeked an eye open and saw the woman was telling the truth. She felt a little more at ease knowing who her captives were, but still.  
"Why am I being held captive? What did I do?" she mumbled, momentarily forgetting her mouth was gagged with cloth. Maylin untied the gag and Abelia repeated herself.  
Zelpher kneeled down to her eye level and spoke calmly. "In exchange for your cherry danish recipe, I'll shower you in all the coin you desire."  
Abelia shook her head furiously. "My stars! You two kidnapped me for a recipe?!"  
"Well technically, we didn't kidnap you. You're still in your home soo."  
Abelia paused, angrily staring at the woman for her snarky comment. Zelpher punched Maylin in the arm causing her to grit her teeth.  
"And in exchange, you want me to trade for the most useless thing?" Abelia scoffed and averted her gaze from the two, not wanting to look at them any longer.  
"Useless?!" Zelpher's voice rose, "You are poor!"  
Abelia furrowed her brows and stared at the king, frustration showing on her face.  
"No one wants coin from a castaway; everything we touch is considered 'tainted.' Did you not listen to a word I told you in early spring? The best you can do for me is give these people food."  
Zelpher laughed at the woman's response, thinking she was merely joking, but her straight face said otherwise.  
"Oh, you're serious? No. I will not mingle in Nan's business and I damn sure won't help a wood elf degenerate."  
"Fine, then no deal."  
Zelpher unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the young woman's neck.  
"Oh brother," Maylin muttered, rolling her eyes and preparing herself for the soon-to-be bloodbath she'd have to clean up.  
"Go ahead and kill me! I've got nothing to lose. But I'll have you know that if you do, you'll never have my secret recipe, for I'm afraid it's not written down."  
The curly haired woman watched as the king drew back his sword. She shut her eyes tight, silently praying away her sins as she waited for her impending doom, but instead, Zelpher sheathed his sword back in place, realizing that for once, violence wasn't going to solve this problem.  
"Fine! I'll give your people seed. It will be far more rewarding than expired cakes."  
Maylin raised her arms in victory, mainly because no blood was spilt for once.  
Abelia opened her turquoise eyes and smiled excitedly at the king. "Seems like we have ourselves a deal," Abelia said cheerfully. Zelpher waved off the woman's excitement. "What's the recipe?"  
Abelia's smile grew. "The recipe is..."  
She paused. "Myself!"  
"Huh?" Maylin exclaimed as she watched Zelpher hold his sword to the woman's neck once more.  
"Who do you think you're trying to fool woman?! tell me the recipe!"  
"Let me explain, let me explain!" she pleaded, but Zelphers sword didn't budge.  
"I come from a long family line of skilled bakers. My family worships and works very closely with the goddess Hestia, and in return she gifts us with the ability to make food no one can recreate. If you don't believe me, try making it yourself. But... judging by how you've snuck into the kingdom and threatened my life over a recipe, it seems you've already tried."  
"Ha! You expect us to believe that crazy talk?!" Maylin spat out.  
The king sheathed his sword and untied the woman.  
"...We believe her crazy talk?" Maylin said, blinking slowly.  
"You'll come with me and work alongside my royal staff. You will be tested for your theories and, if proven wrong, I shall mail your head to your parents' doorstep. If proven right, I shall give your people seed next spring."  
The king held out his hand and Abelia shook it, consummating their agreement.  
Maylin stood there, stunned by the kings actions. "Your Highness! I'm sorry to interrupt this 'happy moment,' but are you seriously letting a wood elf into our kingdom?! The last one stole your coin and you're going to let this one cook your food?! Besides, I've asked for Thesel to pick us up by early morning. She doesn't even know our etiquette, how wi-"   
"I'm happy you've mentioned that. You shall teach her to blend in. I highly advise Thesel, you, and this woman to keep your mouths shut. I don't need my people judging my reign."   
"I promise I won't do you any harm, for I have no reason to. I promise to do my very best." Abelia said, taking a bow.  
Abelia continued to run her bakery until late nightfall, when the group successfully made their escape back to the canoe. By early morning, Thesel met the group at the empty port.   
Thesel hopped down from his carriage. "Why, I'm still unsure of your reasonings for me to pick you up rather than a knight. It's too early for your shenanigans, Maylin. First the canoe, now thi-thi-thi Your Highness and a wood-what is going on here?!"   
Maylin scratched her head. "Trust me, I was just as shocked as you, but I knew you'd refuse to take part in my plan so um.... but yeah, it's a long story."


	4. Chapter 4: Sunday Morning

Abelia's mother drew her tweed curtains closed, shutting out the joyous faces that passed by her bedroom window. Some days, she found it easy pretending to despise her ex-husband, but today it was near impossible to ignore her unconditional love, and she loathed it.   
"Why can't I just be like the other castaway spouses and just hate him?!" she whimpered.  
She knew many wood elf folk that did the opposite of those other spouses, and saw them shunned out of the village with no choice but to live in Greenstone. She didn't want that life for her children, but still, she couldn't help but selfishly think, "what if?"  
She shook away her fantasies and began pounding at her head, entangling her fingers in her short brown hair. She walked over toward the wooden dresser set in the back of her small space. The middle-aged woman carefully tugged at the rusted knob and pulled back her day-to-day attire before finally retrieving the item she had been searching for: the only thing she had left of her husband, a raggedy tunic he had mistakenly left behind when the castle guards raided their home years ago. She held the tunic up to her chest and hugged it tightly, reminiscing on the last time she was wrapped in his arms.   
"Happy anniversary, my love," she said softly, her voice wavering as she spoke. She shut her eyes tightly as warm tears streamed down her tan face.  
Abelia peeked through her mother's cracked-open door and gasped. She hadn't meant to spy on her mother, but her unfamiliar saddened expression stopped Abelia in her tracks.   
The woman placed a hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her now-violent sobs. She bent forward in agony, feeling phantom pricks of needles swarm her skin as her heart sank to the very pit of her stomach. For the first time in a long while, she cried and couldn't stop.  
"Mama?" Abelia spoke, slowly creaking open the door. Her mother abruptly shoved the shirt back in its spot. Keeping her gaze on the wall in front of her, she quickly wiped away her tears.   
"Mama, what's wrong?" Abelia took a step forward, worry hanging off each word she spoke. "Why are you crying? Mama, what was that?"   
Abelia's mother walked over to the curtains and opened them, letting light dispel the darkness permeating her country-styled room. She took a breath in, and then exhaled as she turned to face her daughter with a smile.  
"Silly, mama's not crying! I was laughing so hard, I started tearing up! You don't want Queen Nan to come and give me a fine, do you?" She paused and tapped her lip with her pointer finger. "Want her to send me off like your father?"   
The child gasped and quickly ran to her mother, hugging her waist with all her strength. "No!" she yelped.  
"Then don't tell fibs, little one. That's how people get taken away." She rubbed her daughter's back and called for her son.  
"Ean, take your sister out with you today!"   
Shortly after her statement, the two heard the boy's footsteps run down the narrow hall. Seconds later, the boy burst into his mother's room, anger showing on his face as he furrowed his thick dark brows and clenched his fists so tightly, they turned red.   
"Absolutely not! Mother, she is EIGHT! She can't hang out with my fri-"  
"And what of it? You're only four years older." Their mother raised her hands, stopping herself from continuing an argument with the child. "Either take her with you, or don't go at all."   
Abelia stood between the both of them, tugging at one of her curls and avoiding her older brother's heated stare. She knew what he wanted her to say, and she knew what would happen if she didn't.  
"It's fine mama, I don't wanna go," she lied.  
Abelia's mother folded her arms. "Ean, be nice to your sister while you two are out. I mean it."   
The boy sighed dramatically, rolling his dark eyes as he stormed out of his mother's room and out the front door,  
Abelia trailing quickly behind him.  
The girl thought nothing of their route, simply thinking they were headed to their grandmother's house, even examining her grandmother's lavish garden filled with a certain plant that shared her name as they walked by.   
She grew excited, thinking of all the board games papa and her could play once settled in the house and how grandma would make her famous ice cream sandwiches to share.   
"Ean, do you wanna get on the swings with me?" she asked, but they passed their grandparents' cottage, and Abelia's confusion grew.  
"Where are we going?" she asked as the two ventured into the forest, the muddy trail they'd been following now almost nonexistent.  
"Don't say a word to my friends. Don't even look at them, got it?!"   
"But mama says we're not allowed to travel beyond the tra-"   
Ean raised a fist and Abelia flinched, covering her face with her hands.  
"Tell mom about this, and I'll rearrange your face!"   
"Ean!" screamed a blond-haired girl in the distance. She ran toward the two and waved. Both Abelia and Ean turned to the familiar voice and, once the girl came into view, Abelia's eyes lit up. She ran toward the girl, hugging her tightly. "Winter!" she exclaimed.  
Ean's girlfriend giggled as her soft lips met the child's forehead in a kiss. The girl wore her long white hair in twin braids, an unusual style considering she was known for having it down and at her waist.  
"Mother made you take your twin, I see." Winter smiled and draped her arms around the girl's shoulders in an embrace.   
"Again, we look nothing alike... but hey, got your dagger?"   
Winter reached into the pocket of her short dark cloak and pulled out a small dagger, waving it from side to side. "You share the same eyes and everything else, you might as well be! Only thing that's kind of a giveaway is your ages." She giggled, blowing Ean a kiss, and gave him a wink. "But, to answer your question, yes I have mine. But my guess is that you don't have yours?"  
"I've decided to hunt with my mind," Ean said jokingly, rolling his eyes.  
Abelia turned to look at her brother and then back to Winter. "Hunting?! But Queen Nan says that's forbidden!"   
Ean shushed his sister. He wanted to smack her in the head, but he knew better than to do that in front of Winter, who adored her.  
Winter played with the girl's long hair, the situation finally dawning on her after the child's statement. She frowned. "She really shouldn't be here, love." Winter then reached into her pocket once more and loosely tossed a spare dagger to her curly-haired lover.   
"I was thinking we let Jack sit this one out and babysit." Ean chuckled, shoving the dagger in his back pocket.  
Winter's doe eyes widened. Her face distorted, showing her disgust. "Jack?! You're gonna let Jack monitor a child?!"   
Abelia clenched her fists. "No, I'm coming with you! I'm not a baby!"   
"You heard her, she's not a baby. I say we let her come with," Ean said, folding his arms.  
"And if she gets hurt? Don't be foolish."  
Ean ignored Winter's protests and grabbed his sister's arm as he began to walk to the established meetup spot.  
Once there, Abelia looked at the older kids idling around their makeshift fire pit. She knew these kids and instantly hid behind Winter once the group's eyes landed on her. They were the favorites of their town: Winter's friends.   
"Took you long enough- hey, what's the kid doing here?" asked one of the boys in the group.   
Abelia looked at the older kids nervously, starting to regret her whole 'I'm a big kid' speech from earlier.  
Ean grinned at the small group. He reached behind Winter to grab his sister by the shoulders and placed her in front of himself. "Says she wants to be one of us, so why not teach her what we do on Sundays?" The group murmured amongst themselves, then nodded in agreement.  
"Alright, well, let's go," said one of the girls. She began leading the group even deeper into the forest.   
Abelia's legs ached. She and the others had been walking on for miles. Just then, one of the boys held up a hand, causing the group to abruptly stop and hide behind the tall, wide trees.   
Abelia looked over toward the boy up ahead in the distance who everyone seemed to be focused on. His ragged, patchy clothes drooped over his body as he pulled carrots from the earth and placed them in a small wicker basket at his side.   
"Jackpot! We've found one of their farms!" a male from the group whispered to the rest.  
Abelia tilted her head in confusion. "Who is he?" she asked, not remembering seeing the boy in town.   
"A castaway, obviously," answered one of the girls crouched down beside her, shaking her head at Abelia's ignorance.  
Abelia looked back to the boy ahead of them. He looked to be around the same age as the group spying on him. "That's the evil castaway? No way," Abelia thought. She watched the wild-haired boy begin to hum a familiar tune, a tune her mother would sing to her while they baked together.  
"Where's his fangs and fur? He doesn't even have claws! Is this some sort of joke?" she tried to ask the girl, but when Abelia looked down, she was gone.   
"3... 2... NOW!" Ean screamed, and the group bum-rushed the castaway. The boy jerked his head over to the group of kids rushing toward him, then dropped his basket and took off.   
Abelia stayed in place, not getting the memo. "What kind of game is this?" she asked. She watched some of the kids take off after the boy while others stayed in the hidden garden, pulling the vegetables from the ground and crushing them beneath their feet. Winter was among them.  
"Hurry up, guys! We got 'em!" a male from the other group screamed, causing the few people left in the garden to rush over and join the others.  
Not wanting to be left behind, Abelia weaved past the trees toward the disembodied screams coming from within the forest. "What's going on?!" She yelled breathily, holding onto the side of a tree for support as she caught her breath.  
"You're a little too close to our property," Ean said to the frightened boy who struggled in his grasp.   
Abelia moved in closer to the kids who were huddled around the castaway.   
"Let me go! Please let me go!" the boy screamed, terror riddled in his tone.   
"Ready, everyone?!" Winter shouted, then landed the first blow. She punched the kid repeatedly in his face, causing his eyes to swell and his lip to bust open. The others joined in on the "fun," punching the frail boy all over his body until their hands were covered in dark red liquid and the kid's body was heavily bruised.  
Abelia covered her ears in an attempt to drown out the boy's wails and took a few steps back.   
"Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!" Abelia yelled, but the kids continued, laughing as the boys screams and pleads grew faint.   
"Please! Stop!" Abelia screamed. She dropped to her knees and covered her head, this time catching the group's attention. Ean, who now had blood splattered all over his clothes, looked over to his sister and bore his teeth. "Shut the hell up!" he hollered, then jumped to his feet.  
Abelia quickly stood up and turned to run, but her brother grabbed her small wrist and dragged her toward him. "You're not a baby, right? Prove it!"   
Winter stepped to Ean's side and placed a hand over his shoulder. "Ean, I think that's enough."   
The male yanked his shoulder away from the girl's grip, ignoring Winter completely. "Hit 'em. Go on, do it. Or would you rather me tell Nan you feel bad for a castaway? Maybe you belong with 'em."   
Abelia looked over to Winter with pleading eyes, but Winter averted her gaze, causing Abelia to become hysteric, looking to everyone around her for help. The others all did the same.  
Ean grabbed the petite girl by her curly locks and forced her to gaze upon the wounded boy in the tall grass.   
Abelia sobbed, holding onto her brother's hand in an attempt to loosen his grip. She tried to turn away, but all she could see was the battered boy in the grass, his eyes nearly swollen shut as tears ran down his face.   
"Kill me, just kill me," he cried, his voice barely audible. Ean used the girl's hair to propel her forward. She fell to her knees beside the boy.  
"Oh, don't tell me you actually feel bad for the thing. Do it!" Ean shouted, making the girl jump. "Do it, kid!" yelled one of the boys. "C'mon, finish him!" another yelled, and the group subsequently started a chant: "Do it! Do it! Do it!"   
The battered boy shut his eyes in defeat. "God... please have mer-" he prayed to himself, but before he could finish, Abelia had punched him, causing the boy to pass out.

Abelia shot up from her sweat-drenched pillow to find herself in her dark bedroom chamber. She found that she was covered with sticky sweat that made her curly hair stick uncomfortably to the back of her neck. She held a hand to her chest, breathing heavily as she felt her heart pound against it. "It's not my fault, it's... it's not my fault," she reassured herself as she caught her breath.   
Spring had always been a difficult time for the woman. Each day she rested, she grew more and more petrified of falling asleep, for she didn't know if she would have to relive the "incident" or be blessed with normality.  
"I'll never be like them," she told herself, and she began to calm down a bit as she went through her usual routine of constant reassurance. "Look on the bright side, Abelia. Now that the dream has run its course, you don't have to dread sleeping again... until next year."  
Abelia hung her head and sighed. She reached a hand toward the glass of water she always kept at her bedside table, before realizing this wasn't her room, it was instead one of the king's spares. Her newfound chamber's resemblance to a prison cell was almost uncanny, especially in combination with the bolted front door keeping her trapped inside.  
Abelia sighed and sat up, throwing her fluffy blanket to the floor and holding her knees up to her chest.  
"I wish I had someone to talk to..." Abelia thought. She never thought she'd miss Maylin, but as odd as it seemed, she did.   
Abelia hadn't seen Maylin since she had arrived in Tethalagon two days ago, and though Maylin was much younger than she, Abelia still wished to at least have a woman to confide in, regardless of said woman's murderous tendencies. But she didn't mind Thesel, although it seemed she could never please him and he was a bit too outdated for her liking. She just knew that if he were to see her right now, he'd tell her, "Fix your bed and sit like a lady!"  
Abelia slid her feet onto the chilly cobblestone floor. She walked toward the room's window. The window seemed to beckon her to open it, so she did, and a gentle breeze came to ruffle her shoulder-length curls.   
"My, what a beautiful view," Abelia said sarcastically while trailing her eyes up the length of ivy that littered the dingy castle wall.   
"Oh, Hestia," she started, leaning her back up against the wall and slowly sliding down to the floor. "Bless me, I beg you. Please bless me on tomorrow's morning." Abelia spoke softly, feeling her goddess's presence calm her nervous mind. She slowly drifted back off into a better dream while the sun made its way over the horizon and filled her room with warmth.  
"You're two minutes late, Abel- Why on Earth are you on the floor?!" Thesel said sharply, startling Abelia awake. "And your bed isn't made?" He scoffed. "You're truly impossible." He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes, disappointment apparent in his tone.   
"I'm sor-"   
"Ahpt! What did I tell you about saying sorry? Say, 'my apologies!' Ugh. Anywho, no excuses. Just follow me," Thesel said in annoyance as he turned to walk out the door. Abelia hurriedly threw on her new high elf attire, the classic gold-trimmed red tunic with dark pants, and scrambled after the tall thin male, her shoes halfway on.  
The castle was completely deserted. Thesel and she took all sorts of turns down the castle corridors. "Where is everyone?" Abelia asked, while observing portraits hung from the wall as the two passed by.  
"They were given the day off," he said simply.  
"Oh, is there some sort of party today?"  
Thesel laughed at the girl's ignorance, keeping his gaze straight in front of him. "We don't throw random parties like your people, and we don't call them parties either. We call them celebrations."  
"I'm sor-" Thesel shot Abelia an angry glance. She cleared her throat and corrected her sentence. "My apologies, I'm not really familiar with your traditions yet."   
"I'm glad you reminded me; I shall give you a calendar packet to study. I'll be quizzing you later on this week."  
Abelia gave Thesel a weak smile while internally kicking herself for bringing that up.  
"The closest you'll be getting to a party is our Spirit Day festival in November."  
Abelia tilted her head, struggling to keep up with the lanky older male. "Spirit Day festival?" she questioned, to which Thesel gave a nod.  
"It's a festival more for the townsfolk since, I'm sure you know this bit, but we are from the same tree, but rather different branches, but with that being established, our life span isn't as lengthy as our superiors-"  
Abelia sighed deeply, causing the male to abruptly stop his explanation.   
"Yes, yes, yes, because our royal ancestors, each respectively, drank from the sacred cup found in the human plane, and now they age at a slower rate."  
Thesel raised a brow, surprised by the woman's knowledge.   
"Just because I'm not from here doesn't mean I'm a complete imbecile, Thesel. I don't know what they tell you about my kind, but we aren't stupid," Abelia spat while folding her arms, her cheeks now peachy pink from anger.   
Thesel slowed his pace. He took a moment to place one arm behind his back and one against his heart, and gave the woman a quick bow.  
"My sincerest apologies, Abelia. I wasn't aware wood elves cared for history. I simply thought your kind would rather party and roll in... mud," said the male. He shivered at a memory of the time he had actually seen a wood elf lay and roll in the mud... while laughing.   
Abelia shook her head and ignored Thesel's condescending apology. "If you'll continue?" She motioned her hand forward as they resumed walking.  
"Ah yes, the spirit festival. Well, those who aren't of royalty or in the council celebrate their ancestors who've passed away. The town makes all sorts of special desserts and dishes, and they celebrate in the square in ball gowns and such, but us higher-ups have far more important things to be doing than celebrating; especially royalty, who don't have as many dead as the normal folk do."  
Abelia went quiet for a moment. She thought of how fun it would be to attend such a thing, and what she'd wear to it. She even thought about asking Maylin to join before breaking the silence once the two turned a corner and approached the vast kitchen doors. "Well then, where is everyone?"  
"The king wants your identity to be unknown until you've been properly trained as one of us, but I'm sure that won't last very long," Thesel said bluntly. Abelia folded her arms and furrowed her brow as the male continued.   
"Our bakers are the best in the world, so for your sake, I hope you're telling the truth. Otherwise, that's your head."   
Thesel opened the kitchen door before Abelia could give the male a piece of her mind. She then stood there, lost for words, as she slowly scanned the large kitchen.  
"Wow!" she said excitedly, running into the kitchen and around the garnet island countertops. She gazed up at the dangling brass pots which hung above her head like stars.  
"Ahem! No running in the castle! Remember what I told you about excited outbursts!" the older male said angrily, but Abelia found it impossible to hide her excitement in a place so grand. She jumped giddily as she was shown the spice racks lined with spices she thought were only real in fairy tails, and smiled even more brightly when shown what was stored in the coolers.   
"This is absolutely beautiful!" she said to Thesel, who looked very uninterested.  
"You act as if you've never seen a kitchen before... and that's quite concerning, especially considering the task at hand."   
"Am I not allowed to be excited? I mean, look at all this! It's amazing!"  
Thesel shook his head. "Work on concealing that open excitement a bit more effectively. We high elves find open excitement to be quite childish."   
Abelia was about to say something, but just then, a burst of rainbows scattered across the mahogany wooden floors and up the back wall, momentarily distracting her.  
"Wait a moment, what's that over there?" Abelia asked as she walked over toward a giant rose glass door. "It's absolutely beautiful, but don't you think it's a a bit out of place?" Abelia paused and trailed a finger along one of the door's delicate petals, seeing that the designers even paid attention to capturing the detail on the flower's veins. "This is far too delicate to be in a busy kitchen."  
Thesel grabbed the door handle and pushed it open. "Come along now," he stated, and led Abelia into a dome-shaped glass structure that overlooked the kingdom.   
Abelia held her hands to her mouth and gasped as she stepped onto the neutral-colored pebble flooring, taking her first real look at the high elf kingdom, her new home.  
"They look like ants!" she said, walking closer toward the glass to get a better look down below. She noticed that there weren't as many trees in Tethalagon compared to Dellamora, and attempted counting the cottage-styled mansions that took their place, but soon stopped, for she noticed there were far too many to count.   
"This room is the king's personal garden used for his meals, and his meals only. Only a select few are given permission to step foot in this room, the chosen high elf master chef, Trinity, being one of them."   
Abelia peeled her eyes away from the city view and gave the male her full attention. "I can't wait to meet her!" Abelia said excitedly.   
"Oh, I wouldn't be too excited to meet that woman. She's not going to be too fond of a random girl possibly taking her friend's job."   
Abelia's heart sank, her bright smile quickly dropping to a frown. "I don't want to step on anyone's toes, I-"  
"Oh, poppycock! If you're better than that girl, you deserve to work in her place. What good would it do to have someone useless work for royals?" Thesel said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Come now, let me show you the the garden."   
Abelia gazed upon the fresh berries, peppers, and various other vegetables and herbs ripe and ready for picking. She hadn't been in a real garden in such a long time, she started to tear up.  
"Are you... are you crying?" Thesel said, confused. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it over to Abelia.  
"It's just... I haven't been in an actual garden since I lived with my mother. You see, we had to garden in random spots in the forest because the soil is so stripped where I'm from."   
Thesel raised a brow. "Why garden randomly? It'd make much more sense to set up a community garden."  
"Well, because the privileged people would come over to steal or ruin our crops... They said... they said that monsters like us don't deserve food, but rather-"  
Abelia struggled to finish her sentence. She shut her eyes and remembered how she was chased for miles while angry villagers destroyed her crops and called her unspeakable things.  
"They said we deserved to... to die."   
Abelia begged her tears to keep from flowing, but it was too late. She instantly turned her back to the male and folded her arms tightly, quickly trying to calm herself down. "I'm- my apologies, I didn't mean to get emotional."   
Thesel placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Why are you apologizing for being upset?" He let out a chuckle. "We may be strict, but it's okay to cry."   
Abelia wiped her tears and turned to face the male's rather serious face. His grey eyes seemed to peek into her soul, and she couldn't help but look away, tucking one of her curls behind her pointed ear as she spoke.  
"Well... where I'm from, you can get in some serious trouble for pulling a stunt like what I've just done... In Dellamora, showing sadness is heinous. It can get you sent to Greenstone."  
Thesel's eyes widened. He took a step back, distancing himself from the woman in front of him. He almost tripped over a potted basil plant, so Abelia reached out to catch him, but Thesel caught his balance before he could tumble over.  
"Are you alright?" Abelia asked him. She glanced behind herself under the assumption they had been discovered, so when no one else appeared to be among them, her confusion only thickened.  
Abelia studied the male's fearful face while he gave her a nervous smile and a laugh. "Do you see someone? Is someone here?" she questioned, to which Thesel shook his head no, finally managing to mask his emotions as he smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in his golden tunic.   
"No, no, everything is quite alright. I had forgotten to do a rather important errand and you just reminded me is all. We must finish here quickly."  
The woman raised a brow. "He definitely doesn't seem like the type to forget something important," she thought. She began to question his seemingly flimsy excuse.  
Thesel swiftly picked a palm-sized strawberry from one of the towering vines beside him and placed it in Abelia's dainty hands. "I want you to try it."  
Abelia hesitantly took the palm-sized strawberry from Thesel, still questioning what she had just witnessed. She was questioning him more, but abruptly turned her gaze from the fruit to the male standing before her.  
"Wait, didn't you say this garden is for the king only?" Abelia handed the strawberry back to Thesel. "I don't think I should be eating something that's not mine."  
Thesel held up his hands in refusal. "A baker must always test to see if the ingredients are fresh, correct? Now go on and try it."  
Abelia hesitantly looked the fruit over once more before taking a small bite into its side. To her surprise, strawberry juice ran down her fingers and dripped onto the pebbles below her feet.  
"Mmm! Is this even real?" she asked as she took another bite. "It tastes like candy, like a strawberry candy!"   
Thesel watched the young woman take small bites of the strawberry, very obviously trying to prolong her delicious experience.   
"I've been told the smaller ones are more tart," he said, then waved a hand toward himself in order to gesture Abelia back to the glass door. Thesel paused for a moment and turned to face the woman with his hand still on the doorknob. "Before I forget, remind me later that we must do something about that unruly nest atop your head."   
Abelia placed her hands upon her hips after finishing off the last bit of her strawberry. "I happen to quite fancy my curls, thank you very much."   
Thesel looked at the young woman in shock before abruptly letting out a burst of laughter, which left Abelia with an offended expression plastered on her face.  
"Come now let's not dilly-dally; follow me," he said, still chuckling as he took the woman inside the kitchen to one of the storage rooms. Thesel pulled back a shelf on the wall, revealing a safe in the back. As he unlocked it, the male pulled out a red chef's coat with black buttons skillfully stitched along its side.  
Abelias annoyance faded as she now held the expensive-feeling garment in her hands. She smoothed her thumb over   
her name that had been embroidered on the left pocket in solid gold thread.  
"You guys made this... for me?"   
"Of course we did. You can't exactly be in the kitchen without the proper uniform. Just remember, with this coat comes great responsibility. If we find out you've been lying about your baking abilities, well... I'm afraid you already know what will happen."  
Abelia stared at Thesel nervously and he gave her a reassuring smile. "No pressure. Now, why don't you try it on?"


	5. Chapter 5: May They Rest In Peace

Finally alone, Abelia stood in the center of the kitchen with her hands tucked deep into the silk pockets of her new coat. She didn't notice how violently her heart had been slamming in her chest until Thesel had left. Once she was sure he was gone, she shut her eyes, began taking deep breaths, and tried counting down from ten. However, her attempt to calm her nerves ultimately fell flat once she reached one.  
"If I don't successfully make these pastries... I-"  
Abelia paused, finally understanding the severity of the situation. Her brain began showering her with intrusive thoughts, but she shook them away. She took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and slowly let it out.  
"No. Things will be okay. I can do this! Abelia, you can do this! The people of Greenwood are counting on you!" she told herself.  
Abelia pulled back her hair into a low-knotted bun and walked over to the fridge. One by one, she grabbed the needed ingredients for the king's cherry pastries. Afterwards, she washed her hands, praying to live another day and praying for her goddess's help in preparing the dessert. 

———————————

Thesel bolted the massive kitchen doors shut and promptly made his way to the council's lecture room to attend a meeting the king had called for a few weeks prior. He itched to tell the Royal what he had discovered about the woman in the kitchen.   
Once there, Thesel sat pin-straight and attentive, with eleven of his fellow councilmen sitting on either side of him. 

Minutes passed as the king paced back and forth. Most of the council attendees had grown accustomed to the metal clacking sound of their Highness's favorite gold-soled boots against the grey marble floor. Not Maylin, though. She felt as though the sound were being drilled into her skull like a broken alarm clock. Internally, she begged the king to just speak already.  
Maylin lazily rolled her head to the right and stared at an old man seated in his wheelchair. "Why were you called to a council meeting when you're no longer a part of the council?" she wanted to ask, but stayed silent because the king hadn't given anyone permission to speak yet.   
With nothing left to distract herself from Zelpher's prolonged silence, Maylin reluctantly turned back to face him. While she studied the king's appearance, she realized something was off. She examined her ruler and noticed nothing out of the ordinary when it came to his hair. In fact, she slightly wished he'd do something with it other than that long braid worn down to his narrow waist. She pictured his hair much shorter and nodded in approval, as if he'd ever actually chop his thick long hair. Regardless, she liked to ponder the thought.   
Maylin shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "So, what is it?" she questioned, noticing that Zelpher's usual haughty attitude was now somber. "Did someone die?" Maylin softly knocked on her wooden seat and went back to searching for what was so off. Then... it hit her.  
"It's the outfit!"  
King Zelpher presently wore an all-black ensemble even though he was very adamant about never wearing anything other than shades of gold or ruby reds. Despite him not following his own status quo, his ensemble was still skillfully crafted, with embroidered floral patterns and high elven traditional beadwork.  
"What's gotten into him?" Maylin thought as the king continued to pace without uttering a word. She slouched down in her seat some more and bounced her leg, now staring up at the glass ceiling and peering at the puffy clouds drifting overhead. Thesel glared at the girl until she made eye contact with him. He then made a face and sharply motioned a finger upwards, a frequent act of his toward her bad posture. Maylin rolled her hazel eyes dramatically as she pulled her body up from her slouched position and folded her arms.  
"Councilman Fenetta-" Zelpher started, then paused for a moment to try and find the right words. He broke his stride and faced the group. "Ms. Fenetta hasn't returned back from her mission."  
He sighed, scratching his head. The group worriedly murmured among themselves, recalling the last places they'd seen her.   
"The last I've spoken to Ms. Fenetta was when she was preparing for a mission to Avonté... But I'm afraid I, too, haven't seen her. Since then, I've started to grow worried," Toli stated, shifting in her seat. She held herself and stared off blankly.  
Maylin's face twisted in disgust at the woman's input. "Ugh! Avonté," Maylin shuddered in disdain. "I don't trust the Siren Kingdom one bit. Those bloodthirsty savages have no self-control. I wouldn't be surprised if they had something to do with her disappearance."  
"Maylin, please!" Toli scolded, cringing at the thought of her friend being torn to pieces.   
"They'd never do that with our treaty in place. Don't forget they are our allies, young one," Elder Ron explained to Maylin.  
"I knew from the moment I saw Fenetta, she would be bright!" Ron smiled widely as he reminisced on his first meeting with the woman and how excited she was to be a part of their team. She was brash, but highly skilled in her job, as one must be for a position at the council.  
Ron nodded his head as if he were justifying her council status. "She deserves the title of most trusted messenger, and I'd like to think I've trained her well. She knows what to do when lost at sea, so worry not, for she shall return!" he reassured everyone.  
For a moment, the others felt a little at ease until Zelpher shook his head, dispelling their relief.   
"She shan't be returning. It's been four months," Zelpher sadly noted, beginning to pace once more. The group began whispering again, thinking to themselves, 'has it really been that long?'  
Ron stood up, using his cane to balance himself. "With her being my pupil, I feel as though it can only be my responsibility to bring her back. Your Majesty... when should I set sail?"   
Toli looked to the elder in shock, as did the rest of the council. "Sir Ron, you can barely walk. How on Earth do you plan to search for her? You'll get hurt!" she yelled, now standing to her feet. The group agreed with Toli and attempted to change the elder's mind. Meanwhile, Maylin sat quietly and pondered the situation at hand.  
Maylin stood up, talking over the jumbled voices. "Wait, wait, wasn't she sent with troops? Did they disappear too?" she asked Zelpher.  
The king halted his pacing and held up a hand to silence the rowdy officials, to which they obliged.  
"They've returned on time, but they don't remember sailing back. You weren't in the council six years ago, but this instance has happened before, and my only explanation for it is..."  
Zelpher paused his sentence and turned around to swipe back the velvet curtain behind him. Now revealed was a large map with small portraits stuck to it in seemingly random locations. One pictured face on the map was the missing member, Fenetta, placed in Avonté. Another portrait, depicting the deceased councilman Exné, master of negotiations, was placed in the middle of the Frozen Sea.  
The council stared at the many other familiar faces as well: people of their allied nations, scattered around the globe with each of their faces crossed out in bright red ink. Silence descended over the council. Zelpher walked over to his desk and grabbed a quill that had been resting in red ink. He crossed out Exné's and Fenetta's faces before turning to face the group's saddened expressions.  
"I've known the information I'll be sharing with you presently for quite some time now... but I was hoping our members were just lost at sea, or maybe even, as a worst-case scenario, held captive." He paused, taking a moment to sort his thoughts. "My intentions weren't to frighten you or to raise alarm, but I was told by many members of our allied nations that they, too, knew of missing nobles who faced the same outcome. Dear council... I'm displeased to inform you that Fenetta is... no longer with us." The king's tone was dark. He shut his eyes for a moment before taking a seat at his desk. "And... neither is Exné."  
Ron stared into space as he slowly sat back down in his wheelchair, completely stunned. Toli clasped her hands over her face and began quietly weeping. No one mumbled a word.  
"Wait, Your Highness!" Maylin called out. "According to this map, there have been thirty deaths of officials spread out in random locations around the world, correct? That's just for this year, so who's to say it won't increase?"   
"Oh dear, how will we trade?! We'll go through another recession!" Stephan shouted, causing several of the councilmen to go into a mild panic, all of them rapidly firing their concerns at the king.  
"Your Highness, we can't stay put as we did six years ago! We nearly went into a nationwide emergency! A crisis!" yelled the kingdom's diplomat, Anita, now perched at the edge of her seat.  
"This occurrence is no longer a coincidence," stated councilman Veeve. "Why don't you just tell us who it is, 'psychic,'" Ragel murmured.  
Veeve let out an annoyed sigh that fluttered her dark bangs and turned to the male angrily. "Again, it does not work the way you think it does. I sense the energy of the being, and then I'm able to know who it is based on the core energy of their race."  
"Yeaaah... I haven't a clue what you just said, but it sounds like excuses to me," Regel shrugged.  
Veeve ignored the male and instead spoke to the group. "I can sense traces of what we're up against, and whatever it is, it feels... otherworldly. The psychic barrier they have up is very strong. I can't see a thing."  
Zelpher waved off her response, not really caring what the "silly psychic" had to say.   
"Whoever's attacking is targeting officials. What if they go after our people next? Should I start preparing?" Maylin asked.  
Zelpher massaged his nose bridge with his fingers while listening to everyone start bombarding him with every scenario imaginable. He raised his hands and swiped them flat, cueing his council to be silent, and the room suddenly went back to its false state of tranquility.   
"I've personally spoken to some of our allied leaders during our recent and prior trading seasons, and they all have suspicions that those damn lavonics may have something to do with it," Zelpher said. He slammed his fist on his desk in frustration.   
"The Lava Kingdom? But they keep to themselves. They're so quiet, I forget they're even there," Ragel shrugged.  
Maylin slapped her palm against her forehead. The others groaned and sighed at Ragel's scheduled ignorant comment of the day.  
"What? To tell you the truth, the only thing I'm worried about is us," he bluntly announced.  
"Did you fail Basic History? The lavonic king was the only elven ruler who couldn't drink from the sacred cup. They're the only elves who don't have long-living rulers." Maylin sucked her teeth and shook her head.  
"Oh, don't give me that look. I didn't have to do extensive research in world history. I'm a warden, not a battle strategist, so I'll do my job, and you do yours." The stocky older male turned his nose up at Maylin and let out an agitated "humph!"  
Zelpher faced his map, deciding not to entertain the upheaval behind him, and focused on how to solve the disappearances.   
Thesel looked at Ragel with deep concern, finishing where Maylin had left off. "You're aware of the four elven kingdoms, correct?"  
Ragel nodded. "Well, of course. Us, the wood elves, the sand elves, and the lava elves. Why exactly am I being quizzed?"  
Thesel shook off the question and continued. "Remember when the kings from those elven nations banded together millions of years ago in search of the sacred Chalice of Life? Well, when they found that chalice, they filled it, and each took a sip except for the lavonic king. Right at the moment he tried to, the chalice vanished. The lavonic elves have despised all of us ever since, and still, to this day, they think the kings had some part in it. That's why they keep to themselves."  
Maylin scoffed and shook her head at the councilman. "Aren't you like, forty? How didn't you know that?"  
Ragel stood up, ready to tell Maylin off. Before Maylin could stand as well, Ron held out his cane, holding the girl back whilst shaking his head no.  
Toli sniffled a bit, still rather shaken up by her close friend's seemingly sudden death, but added, "If it's them causing all this mayhem and attacking those who drank from the cup, why are they also attacking the sirens? The sirens don't like the taste of the lavonic and have had no quarrels with them. Ugh! I can't stand this madness!"  
Zelpher turned to face the group and everyone instantly gave him their attention. "I understand that everyone is concerned, but we must-"  
Zelpher's voice dwindled to a halt as his dark eyes darted to the front door, which slowly creaked open. Quickly, he shut the velvet curtain, hiding the map beneath it. "Who the hell do you think you are, walking in on a-"   
In walked a petite, curly-haired woman with turquoise eyes that gazed around the room nervously. Her hands trembled as she held a silver platter filled with the warm cherry danishes she had prepared moments before her intrusion. Fortunately for her, the sweet treats provided her with a warmth that combatted the chillness of the room. However, the icy stares from those around her made the warmth from the dish seem imperceptible.   
Thesel's eyes widened as he stared at Abelia, flabbergasted. 'Impossible! I could have sworn I bolted those kitchen doors,' he thought.   
The young woman eyed the agitated faces that stared back at her and curtsied while giving everyone a nervous smile. Her gentle voice broke the awkward silence.   
"My apologies for intruding, Your Highness, but I've finished your danishes."  
'A curtsy... what, is she ten?! We bow, Abelia. CHILDREN curtsy. I can't believe this.' Thesel shut his eyes and turned away from the girl, not wanting to look at her anymore.  
"We shall discuss this matter later, everyone. You're dismissed," Zelpher spoke through clenched teeth, staring daggers into the young woman's soul. Maylin and Thesel both stood to leave, but quickly sat back down once they realized Zelpher's dagger-like stare was now pointed at them as he motioned for them to stay put.   
"Care to tell me why Abelia is standing before me?" The Royal motioned a hand toward Abelia, who stood awkwardly by the door.   
"Your... Your Highness, I could have sworn I locked the kitchen door, I-"   
Maylin interrupted the male with a loud sigh, causing the young woman to look in her direction.  
"Worms for brains, you should have double-checked! Abelia, what made you think you could just prance around the castle by yourself?! Did we teach you nothing?"  
The woman's cheeks grew hot as she scrunched up her face in anger. "We?! I haven't seen you since I've arrived! I'm trying my best, okay?!"  
Thesel stayed silent and observed the two as they began to bicker back and forth, satisfied with how the attention was no longer on him, but terrified that the king may blow up any moment now.  
The fiery-haired girl held her hand over her heart as if she was disgusted by Abelia's words. "Lying looks absolutely horrid on you."   
Abelia scoffed. "Lying?! Are you serious? Are you actually serious?!"  
"Shut up! Both of you!" Zelpher shouted. He then called in the guard who was responsible for inviting the woman in.  
Abelia frantically looked to the king, then to the guard, with pleading eyes. Though she wanted to apologize profusely, the king had already silenced her once, and she was afraid of what might happen if she had to be silenced again.   
Zelpher motioned a finger toward the powdered sugar -topped pastries placed neatly on Abelia's silver platter.  
"Eat it," he commanded.  
The guard looked at the king as if he had grown two heads. He wasn't a royal taste tester, he was a castle guard with a family of five he had to return home to.  
"Eat the pastry. NOW!" the king roared, causing Abelia to jump.  
The knight hesitantly reached for the warm pastry. Sweat began to seep from his pores and slip down his frightened face. He took a bite and swallowed deeply, shutting his eyes tight as he awaited his fate.  
Zelpher searched the male's face for any signs of poisoning and waited. Once five minutes had passed with the guard showing no indication of death, the king grabbed a pastry for himself. He dismissed the guard and took a bite.  
"Well?" Maylin inquired.  
Abelia scanned the king's face for any hints of enjoyment as she awaited his answer, unable to speak as her heart thump-thump-thumped in her chest. "Is this how I go?" she wondered. "Is this... the end of my story?"  
Abelia began thinking of all the things she hadn't done yet, and couldn't come to terms with the idea that this very well may be her last day on Earth. Still, she kept her eyes glued on the king and silently begged him to say something. Anything.  
A few moments passed and, just when Abelia thought all hope was lost, the king's lips twitched into a grand smile. He shut his eyes and took another bite, then another, then another.  
"Finally!" he yelled, his mouth full of danish. He placed his hands upon Abelia's shoulders and began shaking her excitedly. "You did it! You actually did it!"  
"AGhH!" Abelia screamed as she lost her footing and began to tumble to the ground. Maylin instinctually reached for Zelpher but missed, grabbing ahold of the tray of desserts instead. She and Thesel watched as the two tumbled to the ground.  
"Your Highness, are you alright?!" Thesel asked, his tone filled with concern.  
Abelia slowly removed her hands from her face and saw the king peer back at her. She lay flat on the ground as Zelpher hovered over her with his hand cupped under her head, which was just centimeters away from the floor.  
"Falling must be a hobby of yours," he said sarcastically to the woman peering up at him wide-eyed.   
"I- you knocked- it's not- I didn't mean to-"  
Abelia stumbled over her words as she felt each breath the king take gently brush against her skin like a calm spring breeze, the smell of sweet cherry danishes left lingering in the air she breathed. She watched his dark brown eyes survey her face as if he was reading a dull news article, as if he wasn't the reason she had fallen in the first place.  
Quickly, Abelia covered her face with her arm, craving distance between her face and his, but the king gently let her head rest on the cool floor and pulled her arm down to her chest. She watched his eyes slowly scan down her face and linger at her lips.  
"I-Is he going to-"   
Zelpher leaned in closer to the woman's rosy face. Maylin and Thesel gasped in terror, disgusted at what they were thinking their king might do to the "low-born wood elf."  
Zelpher dragged his thumb over Abelia's bottom lip. "Oh... it's a beauty mark," he said in his low, gruff voice. "I thought it was a crumb."  
Abelia lay there speechless, frozen in place.  
"I can hear your heart racing... did that tumble frighten you that badly? Calm yourself." Zelpher shook his head and rolled his eyes.  
Abelia quickly sat up and shuffled far away from the royal, gasping for air. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath.  
Zelpher pulled himself into a kneeling position before standing to his feet. He snatched another pastry from the tray in Maylin's hands and took a big bite into the doughy treat.  
Thesel stared at the king, mouth agape.  
"Wait, that wasn't tested!" Maylin said. She attempted to grab the pastry from the king, but he dodged her movements.  
"If I perish, I shall parish delighted and round!" he chuckled. "I can't bring myself to lie, though. I had my doubts about you, wood elf-"  
Abelia clutched her chest. She was still sitting on the floor, processing what had just happened as she caught her breath.   
"I... have a name," she sputtered out, only for the king to ignore her input and continue on with what he was saying.  
"You've truly surprised me! You kept your word, and for that, I shall keep mine."   
Abelia pulled herself off the ground and sported a toothy smile that stuck to her face like glue. She couldn't wait to see the look on everyone's faces back home. "Your Highness, thank you! Thank you so very much!"  
"Starting next week, you will be working alongside Chef Trinity and Chef Pestle as my third head culinarian. You will teach them your ways of prayer."  
Zelpher gave the girl a kind smile as she nodded excitedly. She was relieved that she wouldn't be forcing anyone out of their livelihood like Thesel had suggested earlier, but her smile soon faded to a frown once she realized the king's request was impossible. "Your Highness, I'm afraid I cannot teach my prayers to your kitchen staff."  
Zelpher set down his pastry and folded his arms. The group could feel his temper rising.  
"Oh?" he said, raising his voice.  
"My work with my goddess is sacred and closed. I'm contractually obligated to my goddess, by my own family bloodline, to keep our personal prayers and rituals away from others' ears."  
"Aand here we go," Maylin stated. She covered her ears to drown out Zelpher's shouting. Yet, to her surprise, he merely glanced at the girl, wiped his hands on a handkerchief he had tucked in his pocket, and gave her a faux smile. Somehow, that raised more alarm than it would have if he were to have screamed bloody murder.  
"And what does that mean to me, exactly?"  
Abelia tilted her head and looked to the king, baffled, but kept her tone calm and collected.  
"It means I cannot give away my personal traditions. If I must do so, then, and I mean this with no disrespect, I will lay my head on the guillotine. I do not want to die, but I cannot break the oath of my bloodline."   
For a moment, Zelpher fell quiet. He tried thinking of some possible way he could force the woman to divulge her secrets. However, considering her statement on how she'd rather perish than share her secrets, he knew he had no choice but to let her stay. He slammed a fist on his desk, growing angry and letting out a loud groan.  
"Fine. You shall stay," he said through clenched teeth. To that, Abelia hesitantly questioned, "How long do you plan on keeping me for, Your Highness?"  
"What do you mean, 'how long?' What a foolish query."  
Abelia fiddled with the hem of her sleeve. She could see the king's visible annoyance. He didn't want her staying in his kingdom. Still, she had to know one last thing.  
"Well... when will I be returning home?"  
Zelpher looked at the girl with a face of pure confusion. "Thesel and Maylin will teach you how to be one of us, then you'll be living here."   
Astounded, Thesel looked to the king in complete disbelief, and Maylin let out an obnoxious laugh that no one joined.   
"Ooh... you're serious." Maylin furrowed her brow and folded her arms, feeling the tension radiating from Thesel just by looking at him. However, Thesel stayed silent and let his anger ferment.  
"I thought the plan was to show our cooks how to cook like wood girl and toss her back in her hut?!" Maylin exclaimed.   
"Tell me you're joking. Are you really letting her live among us? Letting woody stay would be quite unfair to the people who've trained all their life to be here."   
"Goodness gracious, is everyone unable to say my name? You speak as if I'm not standing right in front of you," Abelia snapped, resting her hands on her hips. "I do not live in a hut, I live in a house! A shabby little thing, but it's still mine, I-"   
"Your Majesty! That woman is from Greenstone!" Thesel shouted, his pale skin now scarlet from rage.   
Abelia looked to Thesel in complete surprise. She had never heard him shout like that before. Considering the way he carried himself, and how much he cared about etiquette, she didn't even think he was capable of doing something that seemed to be so out of character. She took a few steps forward, extending a hand out to the male. "Thesel, are you-"  
The male stared at the woman in disgust. He shoved her hand away and proceeded to scrub the hand that touched hers on the crimson handkerchief he had pulled from his back pocket. "Don't you 'Thesel' me girl, I've had quite enough of this... this foolishness!"  
"Hey, hey, hey, calm down," Maylin said, stepping in front of the two before anything could go further.  
Thesel whipped his head toward the king. "That boy you beheaded, the thief? He was from Greenstone, and now you've let another one of those savages into the kingdom for desserts?! I apologize, Your Highness, but I cannot just ignore this. We don't let anyone in for a reason."  
'He beheaded someone- he- he beheaded-' Abelia thought, silently panicking. The woman took a step back. In that moment, she wished she was invisible. Her mind was instantly flooded with everything her baking partner Joyce had told her about her son, Kai. She tried to shake it off, thinking it may have been someone else, but no one went over the wall, let alone anyone from Greenstone. She covered her mouth to stop her lips from trembling and turned her head away from the group as she processed what Thesel had just blurted out. 'I'm so sorry, Joyce... I'm so sorry,' she thought.  
Abelia turned back to the group, who luckily didn't seem to be paying her any mind. She tried her best to make herself seem unfazed by the news, not wanting them to know she knew the poor boy, and not wanting to be associated with what got him beheaded.   
"You're so late. Are you kidding? You didn't know she's from Greenstone?" Maylin asked. "Not gonna lie, I said the same thing. No hate, Your Highness, but what's really going on?"  
"You question my actions as if I don't know what I'm doing, which angers me," Zelpher calmly stated.  
This caused Maylin and Thesel to gulp. They feared they may have overstepped, Thesel especially.  
"I'm in a good mood, so I shan't punish you two for your sharp tongues. Absurd of you two to think I'd recruit her for a measly danish. Have you both forgotten I've been alive for hundreds of years? Food starts to bore you, and eating becomes a chore."   
Zelpher walked over toward the door, filling the room with the sound of the signature clacking of his shoes before he gripped the doorknob's golden handle. He turned to face the group once more and spoke in a stern tone that made the two feel apprehensive.  
"For the thousand years I've been alive, I've tried dishes from all around the world, and never have I once experienced baking like this. Did you two truly think I'd let an outsider in here and let them leave alive?!"   
He clenched his jaw before continuing. "That is why she is here, and that is why she will stay, so next time you stop to question me, think otherwise."


	6. Chapter 6: Lilly

Abelia lay on the floor of her moonlit room, saddened and terrified by the events that occurred earlier in the day. She didn't know which she should be more afraid of, the king murdering Kai or how he was planning on murdering her too once her skills were no longer needed.   
She let out a groan, tired of constantly having her life teetering toward the edge of a sword. Then, suddenly, she was riddled with guilt.  
"I should be grateful. Hestia has blessed me with the opportunity to work for a king... I'm living my dream, and yet here I am...moping." Abelia rubbed her face, feeling frustrated and conflicted with her bittersweet victory. She wondered when the king would snap and end her existence, and how Maylin and Thesel would treat her come morning.  
"I guess I'll have to see," she said softly. She stood to her feet and stretched before climbing into bed. She didn't want to doze off on the floor again and risk making Thesel more upset with her than he already seemed to be.

—————————-

"Are ya dead?!" a familiar voice shouted from the front of the room.   
Abelia let out a yelp. She fumbled out of her bed and landed on the floor, quickly standing to her feet.  
"I'm sorry I'm late, I just-" she paused, expecting to see Thesel peering at her disapprovingly. Instead, she saw Maylin stuffing her face with sweet-smelling chips, then proceeding to throw the empty bag on the floor.  
"Ah, thank goodness... It's just you," she said softly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
"Are your people deep sleepers, or are you? Cause I called you three times. I'm not shaking you awake again. You like to try and stab people."   
"Hold on a moment, where's Thesel?" Abelia asked.  
Maylin tilted her head back and let out an exaggerated huff. "Unfortunately for me, Thesel refused to accept my coin for babysitting you. Tuh! I even offered him double, but now I'm stuck keeping an eye on you while Lilly's here! Goodie me, right?"   
Maylin pushed past Abelia and flopped down on her bed.  
"Is that why I never see you? Because you pay him to- wait, who's Lilly?" Abelia asked, before turning to rummage through her drawer for some clothes.   
"The king's bride-to-be who caught word of you living in his spare room. It could be worse, though. She wanted you out of the kingdom, but the big man refused. Bad news for you though, cause now she's demanding to see you in a few hours."   
Abelia paused her search and faced Maylin wide-eyed, panic instantly coursing through her veins. "WHAT!? I can't meet her! I-I'm not high elf enough! How did she find out, what do I say, what are we going to do!?"  
Abelia began hyperventilating. Maylin hopped out of the girl's bed and shook her back and forth. "Get a grip, girl! We don't have time for this! You're gonna make yourself pass out!"  
"She's gonna find out Maylin you must do something!"  
Maylin folded her arms and rolled her eyes, pushing the girl out of the way as she searched Abelia's drawers for an outfit she could wear. "Well, the only person you have to blame is yourself for not staying in the kitchen yesterday! One of her rats must have noticed you delivering the pastries and told her about it."   
Maylin spun around and handed the shorter woman a dress she had found tucked in the back of the drawer. "Here, wear this."  
Abelia took the brown sack from Maylin and scrunched up her face before proceeding in her argument.  
"My life was on the line! I couldn't just sit around and let them get cold! I had to leave the kitchen... Goodness, what is that smell?"   
Abelia glanced around the room, sniffing the air. Then she paused, slowly lifted the grimy garment to her nose, and instantly became repulsed.  
"No, Maylin, absolutely not," she said sternly, pushing the dress back into the woman's arms.   
A chuckle escaped Maylin's mouth, but Abelia didn't find the situation to be the least bit comical. She slumped her shoulders and plopped down on her bed with her face in her hands. "This is it. This is how I die," she stated in exasperation.   
"I know it looks stupid," Maylin started, now with a more serious tone, "but you have to wear that dress. Lilly's gonna have a fit if you look better than her."   
"Well, there must be other options, correct!? Can't I just wear my chef coat and trousers? And I still need to do my hair and shower and-"  
Maylin set the dress at Abelia's side, then carefully placed her rough hands atop the woman's shoulders. Peering deeply into Abelia's gold-speckled eyes, Maylin spoke slowly and carefully, making sure the woman in her grasp understood every word she spoke.

"I'm gonna need you to listen real close, Woody. I know that dress isn't what you'd like to meet an angry fiancée in, but you can NOT look good in her presence."  
For a second, the two women stared into each other's eyes, blinking at each other. Abelia groaned and attempted to pull away from her captor's firm grip, for she figured she understood what she had to do now, but Maylin only held onto her tighter. Abelia opened her mouth to protest, but was swiftly cut off.  
"You're LIVING in the king's corridor when the king won't even let her live here. He told her he got you from the countryside to cook for him as a head chef, which is a job that you start studying for at the capital in primary school. Literally no one gets pulled from the countryside to work for Zelpher. Do you understand how suspicious that sounds? Now put on the damn dress before the Queen Mother gets involved and punishes us all."  
Maylin searched the woman's face for any signs of understanding. It was as if the strategist could see the wheels turning in Abelia's head.  
The wood elf gasped, using her hands to hide her embarrassment. "Nooo, oh goodness... she doesn't think I-" she paused for a moment, then burst out laughing at the absurdity of her situation. Maylin gave Abelia a nod, confirming her suspicions.   
"Even if I wanted to be his mistress, does she really think someone as poor as I am could woo a Royal?"  
Abelia yanked up the potato sack of a dress beside her and cringed at the smell, but nonetheless quickly slid it over her head and took off her nightgown underneath.   
"Is there anything else I should know about Lilly?" she asked, a mixture of worry and resignation in her voice.   
Maylin sucked her teeth, looking just as uninterested as she did when stuck in one of Zelpher's long, drawn-out meetings.  
"That wench Lilly thinks everyone wants to be his mistress. I've seen girls disappear due to Lilly Ann and her rats- or, excuse me, her ladies, and she gets away with it every time, cause the people who don't know her personally don't suspect it. Tuh! Can't believe Queen Mother thinks she's God's gift to this land."  
Abelia shot up from her seated position with her eyebrows furrowed. Just when she thought she had simmered down, her heart went back to that oh-so-familiar feeling of being in the pit of her stomach.  
"So, you're telling me she makes people 'disappear,' and you've made it so I'm alone with her!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR HEAD!?" She gestured frantically.   
Maylin held up her hands and looked over to Abelia as if she were ridiculous; as if she didn't just tell the woman she'd be dying in a couple of hours.   
"Relax, the king wants you here. There's no way she'd do anything to upset him. The girl's obsessed with the guy..." Maylin trailed off. "But still, I don't trust her. She's gotta be up to something."   
"Great!" Abelia sadly exclaimed, flopping her hands to her side as she slid her feet into her brown slippers, wanting to get this ordeal over with already. "So she's fixing to make my death look like an accident."  
"Again," Maylin raised a finger, "highly doubt she'd do that to you, cause the King cares too much about you. She's gotta stay in good favor with him if she's to win his heart," Maylin explained as she walked toward the door, Abelia following behind her.  
"Why marry someone you don't love? Is there some sort of contract? Is there money involved?"  
"It's tradition. The Queen Mother always picks the son's bride. Just remember that innocent, charity-giving, goodie two-shoes act that woman puts on is all a lie. Don't buy into it." Maylin nudged the woman's arm and jutted her head toward the door. "Let's hurry. We don't have much time as it is."  
The two made their way through the candlelit halls of the castle leading to the heart of the structure, where servants hurriedly paced the checkered floors while doing their daily duties.   
Each gave a generous bow to Maylin as they passed by, which Abelia felt was quite jarring, considering how she was forced to lurk in the shadows and stay silent for nearly a week.  
She thought back to her lessons with Thesel, remembering what he taught her to do when the so-called "lower class" was eventually in her presence.   
"To them you will be their superior, so they will treat you like one would treat our king," she said to herself while using Thesel's haughty articulation.  
Though she was taught to ignore the servants, she still gave them small nods and faint smiles when Maylin wasn't paying attention.   
Maylin gently nudged the woman beside her when the coast was clear. "Sorry!-" Abelia started, thinking Maylin was going to scold her for interacting with the servants, but Maylin quickly talked over her before she could apologize. "Don't look at me, don't respond, just listen and nod," she whispered in a voice barely audible.  
"We've only got two-ish hours to...eat breakfast. After we're done, I'll have someone lead you to the rose garden."  
Abelia did as she was told and nodded slowly. The two approached the heavy iron doors that led to their destination. There were two knights guarding the entrance. Both guards placed a hand on their respective door's handle and pushed each door open in sync, letting the two women into the dimly lit space.  
Abelia studied the adornments of the room she entered in such astonishment that she was left speechless. Her eyes darted from the beautifully sculpted fountain placed in the center of the marble floor to the intricate gold detailing plastered on the walls, and felt as if she had stepped into a painting.  
Soon, warmth gently kissed the woman's soft skin as it poured in from the domed skylight up above, the light revealing more of the intricacies of the room. Abelia studied the life-sized portraits of the royal family hung on the walls. The only one she truly recognized was Zelpher, standing as his usual proud self and sporting a miniature sword raised to the sky, but he was far younger and chubby-cheeked.   
She let out a chuckle. "To think that adorable little thing could turn into such a meanie," she said, more to herself than to Maylin, who was walking up to one of the curved staircases, not wasting any time. Hurriedly, the curious woman followed after her, though she lingered a bit to eye the miniature forest trailing the stair rails leading up to the balcony. The dark pots contained red chrysanthemums and ivy that cascaded down their surfaces like waterfalls.  
"Did you miss the whole talk about how we only have two hours?!" Maylin shouted from the top of the stairs. She was standing near a small, round table that she had set up for the two to practice hours earlier.   
Abelia's anxiety quickly returned as she remembered the situation at hand. She made her way up the rest of the stairs and to the table. She stood and caught her breath while Maylin discussed the plan.  
"Remember when you're speaking to her to always let her start the conversation. You'd normally have your guest speak first, but she's a bitch, so I highly doubt she'll let you start. Oh, and answer any questions very vaguely. We're not gonna have enough time to go through questions she might ask. Thesel taught you proper table etiquette toward superiors, right?"  
Abelia quickly nodded, feeling her stomach growl as she eyed the treats atop the table. "Somewhat, he usually takes me to the study room to practice though, so seeing all of this is just...wow. So far, the only rooms I've seen have been the kitchen, the bathhouse, and the council room."   
Maylin stared at Abelia blankly before a small smirk crossed her lips. She felt laughter bubble up inside her until it came spewing out loudly and obnoxiously. "You've been here for how long, and you still haven't gotten a tour? Man, he really doesn't like you, huh?"  
Abelia frowned, feeling her heart sink a little. She knew Thesel didn't care for her, but somehow, having it confirmed hurt her a little more since she was hoping that he was just upset when he said those things about her in the council room.  
Abelia tucked a loose curl behind her ear and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. Her usual bright voice was dim and quiet. "Why do you all hate wood elves so much? Or...is it just me? Did I...do something?"  
Maylin grimaced. She wasn't aiming to hurt the girl's feelings. She turned the other chair around and sat in it backwards.  
"Hey, we don't hate wood elves. We have the same feelings toward everyone... We just think everyone's cool from a distance, ya know?"  
Abelia stared at the girl and slowly shook her head no.  
"Not really... We wood elves are all about being inclusive-" Abelia thought for a moment about the people of Greenstone and how they were treated. "...For the most part, that is, but we welcome almost everyone! Whilst your people think of yourselves as the most excellent in anything and everything." She rolled her eyes and folded her arms.  
Maylin quickly interjected with a smug little smile. "Well, are we not? Look at all we've accomplished and tell me we're not the best. That was a trick question. I know you can't."  
"Just because you may be 'more advanced' doesn't mean you're any better than the rest of us. To be frank...you all look miserable," Abelia replied.  
Maylin looked the woman up and down, thinking she must be crazy.  
"Do you ever just do things for fun without having to win all the time?" Abelia asked, genuinely wanting to know what they did for fun.  
Instead of answering, Maylin grabbed one of the scones from the tray on the table and took her first bite. Abelia's training had now begun. Abelia eyed the tray for a treat that matched the size of the scone Maylin had scarfed down and hesitantly picked up a churro, then looked to Maylin for acknowledgement. To this, the redhead gave Abelia a thumbs-up and continued.  
"All I'm saying is they don't call us the best society for nothing. If it makes you feel any better, I personally think you're decent... I don't trust you and personally, I don't think you deserve to be here but still, you're alright. I have to say though, I was a bit shocked with him letting you live here. I think me and Thesel both were, cause we were noot expecting you to like, stay here, but hey, King's orders I guess, might as well learn to like ya."  
"Look, it's not my fault your king forced me to be here. I can't believe he was going to..." Abelia paused, not wanting to say the rest. She had already spent hours thinking about it before she went to bed, and silently kicked herself for bringing it up again when she'd told herself she'd drop it and try to be grateful.   
"What, kill you?" Maylin stated bluntly, causing the woman to gulp. "Yeaah, ya might wanna get used to that, cause we typically don't trust outsiders."   
"Goodness, she speaks as if randomly killing people because they're different is...normal..." Abelia thought. The idea gave her goosebumps once she realized the possibility of that actually being the case was very high, considering what Zelpher did to poor Kai.  
Abelia shoved her thoughts of the boy's murder to the back of her mind, not wanting to make herself upset again, and let her mind wander elsewhere. She brought herself to her next question.  
"You have no actual enemies and your king somehow managed to create an alliance with the sirens, so why are your people shut off from the rest of the world? Are you all really that annoyed with how we outsiders live our lives?"   
"We couldn't care less what your people do. As long as your practices stay far away from us, then it's none of our business."  
Abelia let out a disappointed sigh as she finished off her churro and waited for Maylin to make her next move. She watched Maylin dig into her pant pocket, pull out a vile, and pour its contents into the small teacup in front of her. Maylin noticed the puzzled look on the woman's face, then downed her drink and made a sour expression. "If I'm dealing with Lilly, I don't wanna be sober. I'd give you some, but eh, you look like a lightweight."   
Abelia looked to the younger woman, her mouth wide open. "Lightweight?!"   
"You heard me," Maylin simpered.   
Before Abelia could protest further, Maylin went on. "You know, our psychics have been predicting a gruesome death that's supposed to be happening to one of the Royals by some intruder. They say they're gonna wreak havoc on our kingdom."  
Maylin squinted her eyes at the doe-eyed woman eating her mini muffin. Abelia gave her a deadpan expression in response.  
"Are you suspecting me of being the one who destroys your kingdom?" she asked, feeling her lips twitch into a smile. She covered her mouth with her napkin as a stifled laugh escaped her lips. She finished off the last of her treat and glanced up at Maylin to catch her still sporting that antagonizing squint.   
"Maylin... I weigh 130 pounds and I'm entirely too squeamish to even have that kind of thought cross my mind. Besides, fighting never solves your problems. It only brings about enemies," Abelia reassured while raising a finger.   
"Mhm, I've got my eye on you, Woody," Maylin declared, pointing two fingers to her eyes, then to Abelia.  
Abelia quickly took a flower-shaped dessert into her hand, but Maylin responded by popping her, causing her to drop it again.  
"Apt! Pay attention! It was my turn to go. Pull something like that with her, she'll think you're a pig," Maylin stated before continuing where she had left off.  
"The king may think fortune tellers are bogus, but the majority of us do not, especially not the Queen Mother. She takes their word very seriously. But enough with the chitchat. Let's focus more on your training now." 

————————

Abelia nervously made her way to the garden, escorted by a servant boy who looked not too much younger than her. She would have much rather had Maylin escort her to her doom, but was told it'd be inappropriate for a council member to be doing a servant's job, and that it'd only raise more suspicion with Lilly.  
"What's your name?" Abelia asked the boy beside her, trying to take her mind off the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach.   
The male scrunched up his thick brows, barely moving his mouth as he spoke. "You want to know...my name?" he asked quietly, glancing around him to see if anyone caught him conversing with a superior.  
Abelia nodded her head and gave him a kind smile. "Yes, what's your name?" she asked again, to which he responded instantly. "I apologize, Miss, but I'm not allowed to speak unless you request an errand."  
"He looks more nervous than me! Jeez, what are they putting these servants through?" Abelia wondered. She decided it was best to just leave the poor boy alone and let him take her to her destination. She didn't want to get anyone in trouble like she had done with the guard yesterday.  
She let the boy lead her down the halls going toward the back of the castle and, while on their way there, several of the servants passing by instantly looked to the ground, in order to show respect to Abelia's status over them. Abelia hadn't experienced anything like this before, and it made her slightly uncomfortable. When Abelia lived with her mother, the king and queen treated the "good" people as if they were all family. There was no real "superior," no special treatment toward people with more money. No one was scrutinized for the way they moved too fast to eat a muffin.  
"Is this what it means to be an 'advanced society?'" Abelia asked herself. She knew Dellamora had its faults, but they seemed like nothing compared to this. She no longer understood the amazing tales told by her gnome friends about the so-called mysterious high elf kingdom. She shook the thoughts from her head and repeated to herself, "Be grateful, Abelia, be grateful, you'll get used to it."   
"This is as far as I can take you... I'm not permitted past this point. Travel straight down the path and you'll reach your destination," the boy said before scurrying off and leaving Abelia by her lonesome. She found herself standing before a glass door that led to the outside world. Carefully, she turned the knob, took a deep breath, and stepped into what seemed to be a botanical garden. She saw that there were servants maintaining the grounds, and had never felt so relieved. "At least now there'll be witnesses if she decides to do anything," Abelia said under her breath as she passed by spiral-shaped flower beds adorned with pale pink roses. It took everything in her not to stop and admire them, but she trudged along the winding brick path. She didn't want to keep Lilly waiting.  
Along the way, there were signs labeling each path, and apparently the castle even had its own orchard and butterfly garden, which excited Abelia's wood elf heart to the core. She wanted so badly to kick off her slippers and dance atop the soft-looking, checkerboard-cut grass, but she repressed her wood elf tendencies and put on the high elf facade she was taught.  
She didn't realize how much she had longed to be back outdoors until now. It made her reminisce on the days she spent helping her grandmother tidy up her garden when she was younger. She chuckled quietly as she quoted her grandmother's often-repeated saying: "A wood elf without a garden is like a high elf without fancy jewels, a siren who can't sing, and a gnome with no stories to share."   
Abelia laughed to herself, remembering how much it used to irk her whenever the petite older woman would voice that repetitive notion whenever she vowed to never own a garden.  
Although it seemed like Abelia had animosity toward the hobby, that wasn't the case. It was more like she grew tired of raising a beautiful garden, only to discard most of it due to winter's chill. Because of that, she loathed the practice and found it much more appealing to gaze at others' works of art from the sidelines. But...at that moment, with all the beautiful plants surrounding her, she knew she wouldn't mind planting a flower or two.  
At the end of the road, Abelia came across a white gazebo standing in the middle of a small round pond encircled by weeping willows. She gulped, treading slowly down the long bridge. Her efforts to try to calm herself came to no avail, and hearing Lilly drum her long nails up against the table of treats only worsened her worries.   
"Good to see you, Miss Abelia! Come, have a seat, darling."  
Lilly tilted her head and smiled softly at the woman who approached her. She motioned a hand gently toward the seat before her.  
Lilly's voice was warm and articulate. She appeared to be pleased to see Abelia, but considering the things Maylin had mentioned earlier, Abelia knew that wasn't the case.  
Her appearance was soft and youthful, and her stained blush pink hair and modest pastel yellow dress only furthered that indication...yet, her energy read as that of an older, more dignified woman, even though she was two years Abelia's junior. She had her long, thin hair pulled back in an ornate braided style with gems and baby's breath fed through the loops.   
Abelia self-consciously forked her fingers through her big, curly hair, which looked quite obviously slept in. She carefully bowed her head, then took a seat.   
"Allow me to introduce myself," Lilly chirped. "My name is Lilly Ann Vänderbolt, but I'm sure you are aware of that. Everyone knows who I am."  
Abelia looked to her with knitted brows. This resulted in Lilly throwing her a puzzled look.   
"Why, you know who I am, correct?"  
"Oh, pardon my confusion. I know who you are, but... isn't that Zelpher's surname?"  
Lilly's upturned, thin lips slowly sank along with her pleasant expression, which twisted into a faint scowl. Still, she kept her composure calm and her movements dainty. She reached for a small cupcake and whipped off the icing in one swoop with her knife.  
Abelia wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She sunk down in her chair a bit, wishing she could take back what she said.  
"And what of it? His name pairs flawlessly with mine. I prefer it, so you will address me as such," Lilly coldly stated, taking small bites of her dessert until it was no more.  
"I was just confused is all... I think it has a nice ring to it!" Abelia tittered, feeling sweat slide down the back of her neck. She reached for a candied orange slice and carefully took a bite. The brunette knew she had to change the subject; the situation was becoming more awkward by the second. She racked her brain for something that might please Lilly and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  
"I really like your dress! I think it's quite beautiful!"  
Abelia gobbled down the rest of her orange so she could place her trembling hands on her lap, because if she didn't, her hands might whack something over.  
"Goodness, now your hands are all sticky!" Abelia slowly swiped her hands up and down her dress, but it only made her fingertips build up fuzz. She prayed Lilly would pick something big to eat so she could buy herself time to pick it off, but to her disappointment, Lilly reached for a single cherry and sucked the fruit from its stem, chewing and swallowing before speaking.  
"Thank you, Miss Abelia. Yellow is one of my husband's favorite colors. I'd compliment your attire, but...let's just say you look very...homely. Maybe once I'm done with this dress, I'll donate it to you."  
Her words were chipper, but Abelia took full offense. "If only she knew I dressed this way to make her feel better about herself," she thought, trying not to let her aggravation show.  
"My Zelpher has told me he picked you up from the countryside?"  
Abelia nodded her head in response and reached for a small wafer, hoping Lilly didn't take notice of her sticky hands.  
The younger woman poked out her bottom lip, then let out a sigh.   
"I wonder what's on her mind?" Abelia thought, so she asked her, "Are you alright?"  
Lilly tugged her creamsicle shawl off the back of her chair and draped it over her shoulders before speaking. "I was just thinking about you..."  
Lilly sipped her tea. Abelia mimicked her and sipped hers as well. "A-About me?" she stammered out.   
"Yes, you, poor thing. You're from the countryside near Deeton? I've visited there plenty of times and donated many of my old, unwanted things to you unfortunate folk. I don't see how anyone could live as your kind does."  
Lilly paused for a moment to look over at the pond, then tossed her leftover icing into it. The two of them watched several fish gobble it down and swim off. "Take me with you!" the curly-haired woman wanted to say, but instead she just sat there longingly.   
"I'm quite thankful to have never had your upbringing. And to think you all looked merry and content. It reminded me of how the Queen Mother described those wood elves-to-be."   
Abelia felt heat rush to her cheeks. She laughed nervously. Lilly soon joined her and laughed along, twirling her teaspoon in her porcelain cup and watching its contents as they swirled around.  
"Bless it, imagine being compared to a wood elf. I'm sure you're ecstatic to be here now and away from those...dirty people."  
Abelia's face grew more heated. She wasn't even from the place the woman had described, but she still felt an urge to defend herself and her 'people.' She just couldn't help herself.  
"Well, living near Deeton isn't as bad as it seems, I-"  
"Would you like to go back?" Lilly interjected, looking up from her teacup, boring her dark eyes into Abelia's soul.  
Abelia felt a chill run down her spine. She avoided the woman's gaze and lost the courage to put her in her place.  
"N-No, I love it here!"  
Lilly Ann sipped her tea and carried on.   
"So, I've talked to my husband, and I find it very unsuitable for someone of your...prestige to be sleeping in a royal corridor. I'm sure you've tried to tell him that as well, but fear not, I ordered him to put you in a proper room, a bigger, better room! Isn't that exciting!?" Lilly's tone took on a more thoughtful approach. She showed no signs of being vexed, yet Abelia couldn't help but feel like something was off. She thought back to what Maylin had said about Lilly, how she could never trust her. "Should I be afraid?" Abelia started to mull over the thought, but hastily snapped back to attention once she noticed Lilly awaiting her response.   
"Um... Thank you so much, I appreciate-."  
"The pleasure is all mine! As long as you keep away from my husband, you'll see that keeping my favor will be worth your while."  
Lilly clasped her hands excitedly and stood to her feet, her floor-length, flowing gown now in full view.   
"Now then, I shall order someone to escort you back inside," she said, taking small strides away from the table and back up the path. Abelia was left alone at the table, unnerved by what she was to see once she arrived in her "bigger, better room."


End file.
